Chicago 2040: Action 4
by steelraven
Summary: The mysteries of the past, the concerns of the present...and a Knight Saber on the team?
1. Path of the Hurricane

Path of the Hurricane

Path of the Hurricane  
_By Priss. Individual rating: PG._

The sky was overcast by several shades of gray, and the roar of thunder drowned out the din of the rushing city traffic. A few drops of rain landed here and there, signifying that a nasty storm threatened to approach. The vibrant colors of opening umbrellas broke up the monochromatic landscape of metallic MegaTokyo. A few members of its population run through the enormous crowds in search for shelter from the oncoming rain. 

A red motorcycle zipped through the streets with ease, with a young woman, probably in her early 20's, driving it. The motorcycle attracted the attention of a group of teens walking admidst the herd of people. They frequented the local club where the young female biker sang. A brunette tapped the shoulder of the male friend standing next to her.

"Hey Tetsu! There goes Priss!" The young girl said as she watched the bike pass them by. "I suppose that band practice is over!"

The girl waved her hand enthusiastically in the air trying to attract Priss's attention, being a fan of hers. Priss took no notice of the girl, and drove on. A few droplets of rain splashed her helmet. She grimaced at the thought of riding through the storm. Priss rode over a bridge and down several streets before she finally stopped at her destination.

Priss dismounted her bike and stood before the Knight Sabers' secret headquarters. Her reddish-brown eyes darkened at the sight of the large building. Her chest heaved slightly as she sighed. Just as she was about to remove her helmet she felt her throat a cold metal hand come to her throat, crushing it. Priss tried to cry out but all she could manage was a dry cough. Her eyes darted from window to window, searching for anybody looking out of them.

She tried to pry herself free from her attacker's grip, tearing off every fingernail she had in the process. She felt a white-hot flash of pain in her hands as the dark red fluid oozed from her fingers. Priss raised her legs to her chest, preparing for a kick in a last ditch attempt to wrench herself free. She thrust her legs back behind her, hitting her target with all the stregnth that she could muster.

Before the last bit of conciousness was sapped away, a shocked Priss felt the appendages of the metal hand loosen their unrelentless grip. Her dangling feet finally found support from the ground below. Priss ripped her helmet off and gulped at the air, rubbing her bruised throat. Then, almost by reflex, she ran towards her assailant and prepared to deliver a killing blow. Priss's eyes were blinded by angry tears so she paused a moment to dry them. After a couple of deep breaths she managed to collect her thoughts. She felt her mind clear itself of anger and confusion. Priss remembered that she wasn't wearing her hardsuit and there couldn't possibly be a way to inflict any lasting damage upon the Boomer. 

She was surprised that she had caused any at all.

She realized that she had been standing there for a while so she looked up to she if she had indeed demolished the rogue beast. Priss felt her blood run cold as she took in the vision before her. A dark blue hardsuit knelt before her, glowing in the sun. Priss looked up and took notice that the storm had broken, leaving several thunderclouds.

The hardsuit stood and became still once more. Priss stepped back in fear. A flood of thoughts flushed through her mind...had Sylia replaced her and in a fit of unexplained madness ordered her killed? Or had someone from Genom discovered the technology behind the hardsuit and sought some perverse pleasure in killing a Knight Saber with a replicant of her own suit? Priss shook her head trying not to pay any attention to her paranoia. Suddenly Priss had the insane urge to remove the helmet. She hesitated for a moment then took the few steps to stand in front of her hardsuit.

"Who are you?" she asked.

There was no answer. Priss repeated herself and again she received no response. She waved a hand before the faceplate and, to her relief, the suit remained still. She reached out cautiously and grabbed the clasps underneath the helmet, then released them. She proceeded to pull the helmet, off, exposing its wearer's suntanned skin.The helmet was completely off then and Priss noted the soft shoulder length brown hair falling loosely about the woman's shoulders.

_So it's human?_ Priss thought.

She dropped the helmet and watched it fall towards the damp earth. It made a loud clanging noise as it landed but the woman made no futher movements. Priss's eyes found their way to the woman's lips. They were full but drawn to an emotionless line. Priss looked up to meet her eyes and found them to be identical to her own.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Priss exclaimed.

Priss watched in horror as the flesh of her twin fell away from her face, revealing a mass of metal and wire. Soon Priss was left staring at what was some kind of grotesque parody of herself. 

It was then that her double reacted. In a blur of motion Priss could suddenly feel its fingers tearing into her eyes. All she could do was scream in pain.

///

The piercing sound of fear echoed throughout Priss's room. She opened her eyes...and found that she still had them. Priss took a quick overview of her surroundings and saw that she was in her bed, the sheets thrown completely off, in evidence that she had been thrashing about. Beads of sweat collected on her brow and her white tank top was soaked in them.

"I had a damn nightmare!" Priss moaned as she doubled over.

She rubbed her hands over her face to remove the excess moisture. Priss scratched her ass and yawned loudly, her mind swimming in an absent minded funk. She got out of the bed and reached over to grab the pair of blue jeans that she had flung over her chair the night before. The jeans felt loose to her that morning as she pulled them over her toned thighs. Priss stood quietly as she ran her fingers through a tangled mess of bed hair. She didn't bother to put her jacket on before she ran out the door.

///

Priss burst through the doors of the Silky Doll. She found Sylia standing in front of the aquarium, her electric blue eyes staring out enigmatically into the water. Sylia turned to see Priss standing behind her, and her red lips curled into a smile. She raised a perfectly arched, light blue brow in her usual playful manner.

"Hello Priss...you look terrible. More so than usual." Sylia said in a low, dulcet tone.

Priss disregarded her comment and cut straight to the point. "Sylia. I'm leaving for awhile."

Sylia's smirk vanished and she was no longer amused.

"Is that your way of asking for a vacation?" Sylia asked as she crossed her arms. Her lithe index finger tapped impatiently.

"I wasn't asking. I'm telling you." Priss replied dryly. "I'm leaving."

Sylia walked away from the aquarium and stood before the changing room curtains. She sighed wistfully, giving up on the idea of having a pleasant afternoon.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked.

Priss didn't answer. She turned heel and proceeded to walk out of the store.

"I expect an answer from you, Priss!" Sylia snapped. Her cold, beautiful face contorted with dark emotion.

"I don't owe you anything!!" Priss shouted. "I'm tired. I want a _break!_ If you don't like it, then fire me!"

Sylia was silenced by shock. Priss hardly shouted at anyone and when she did there was something definitely wrong. Priss walked back to the exit and prepared to walk out again. Sylia followed quietly behind. She reached out a cool hand and laid it on Priss's shoulder.

"I don't want to lose you, Priss. Please know that. I want to know where you'll be so I won't have to....worry." Sylia turned Priss around to face and cupped her face, looking deep into her eyes. Priss found herself looking away.

"I don't know how long I'll be gone!" Priss said. "I don't even know where I'm going."

Sylia curled a finger underneath Priss's chin leveling her face with Sylia's own. She smiled, laughter dancing within her lovely gray eyes. She walked away from Priss, much to Priss's relief. She shook her head, wondering if she could ever get used to Sylia's mercurial mood swings.

"May I suggest a place?" Sylia asked, playful again. 

The manner in which Sylia had asked the question aroused suspicion. "Why?" Priss asked flatly.

Sylia giggled softly.

"You understand me Priss, don't you? You see right through me. I admit that the place where I plan to send you will be somewhere where I'll be able to keep an eye on you," Sylia said. "But at least you'll be getting out of here."

Priss leaned back on the doors and sighed, heavily annoyed with Sylia.

"Where do you plan on sending me?" she mumbled.

"How does Chicago sound?" Sylia purred.

"_America?!_" Priss's eyes widened slightly. "Why the _hell_ do you want to send me all the way to America?"

Sylia shrugged and began to pace.

"You could go there to perform...tour the city! Whatever you like. It would be good for you!" Sylia paused for a moment. "I have a friend who owes me a favor."

Sylia walked back over to Priss and shoved her out of the doors.

"I'll have those tickets in an hour!" she called out, "You'll leave tonight!"

Priss knew there would be no use in arguing with her. She stalked off to find her bike, cursing under her breath.


	2. Blue Eyes

Blue Eyes

Blue Eyes  
_By Ashleii, Kit, Mitch, Priss, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: PG._

_"and how do you like your blueeyed boy  
mister death?"  
-e. e. cummings_

She woke slowly, the image of a large room with roaring fireplace overlaid upon what she could see of the alley. Which was not much, by the way, as she was lying half on her stomach. 

_Fucker...tried to fucking kill me..._ A shaft of light found its way down into the place where she was wedged between the wall and the dumpster, prisming oddly off of her eye. Red and gold highlights appeared, some of them almost greenish in the sea of her iris. _Can't believe he did that..._

"Hey, over here!" Loud footsteps threatened to deafen her.

Voices. Two female, one male.

"Yeah, I was going to harvest this one but I think it's still kind of alive..."

"Ugh," said a husky female voice. "The right arm's totally gone. You'd be better off just shooting it."

"But I don't think this is a normal Boomer. Look at her eyes, Priss!"

"Yeah...that is weird. Well, drag her on back to the lab and let's see."

She felt hands... _No, don't touch me..._

They were lifting her up out of the crack, whipsawing her body back and forth to pull it out...when she'd worked so hard on hiding herself there...

She saw the barest flash of a face. _Erik... Don't leave me here alone like this..._

But it was already far too late.

///

"Egads... what could have done this to her?" Kit gasped as she examined the damage done to the Replicant, which was strapped down to Kit's table. Priss looked on with an incredulous look in her eyes. "You sure you don't want me to put her out of her misery, Kit?" she asked.

Kit glanced at Priss quickly and replied, "Quite sure, Priss." She then turned back to the Replicant, who had a fearful look in her eyes. "W-what do you people want from me?" she asked in a nervous voice. "Please... don't hurt me!"

"It's OK," Kit replied in a gentle tone. "We're not going to hurt you. We just want to ask you a few questions. That's all."

"What... what are you going to do to me afterwards...?"

"I don't know. Just please bear with me here. Now then..." Kit leaned closer to the Replicant, putting a hand on her head to comfort her. "Who are you? Why are you hiding here?"

"I...I...

"That's none of your business!" she snapped. She then vaulted off the table and took a step toward the door...which caused her to fall flat on her face. 

Kit quickly moved to Katerin's side, offering to help her up. "Hate to break this to you, but you're in no shape to go anywhere. Now, why don't you just calm down? We only want to help you." 

Priss looked on, her face completely void of emotion. She watched the Replicant closely as Kit offered her hand.

"Tch..." Priss mumbled to herself. She shook her head as she walked over to Katerin. Priss bowed, halfway meeting the injured Replicant's glare.

"Who attacked you and why were you hiding?" Priss repeated Kit's question in her usual monotone fashion. 

"Who are _you_?" Katerin's eyes narrowed. "Because if you're with Genom you can just fuck off!"

Before Kit even realized, she had pulled away and was standing, albeit shakily, without aid.

_Damn you, Erik..._

Priss's lips curled with amusement as she lazily rose to meet Katerin's eyes. Priss drew in closer purposely, invading her personal space.

"You're in no condition to tell anybody to 'fuck off.' " Priss said as her brow raised slightly. "We're not from Genom so you can relax. Tell us who you are..." She stepped back and watched Katerin, impressed by her display. 

Moving faster than Priss could have imagined, the Replicant pulled herself up, using Priss as a crutch. She sprang back, shifting her weight to her good leg. Priss could see pain written on her face, but Katerin clearly refused to be mastered by it. One corner of her mouth curled up in a half-smile.

Priss felt a dull throbbing pain in her shoulder. She could also feel anger boiling up within her but she managed to keep calm. Her brow furrowed as she canted her head and shifted her feet slightly.

"My name is Shaine Katerin Lore Kohl. I'm the daughter of Erik Kohl. ...that sound familiar?"

Priss didn't reply. She glanced at Kit who was standing beside her.

"I'm Kit, and this is Priss. Please, let us help you..." Kit stepped toward the Replicant. Priss threw one arm forward to warn her away, but it was unnecessary.

_I really don't like doing this...but we need to keep her from running away... _Kit touched Katerin's arm gently - at which Katerin shuddered once, then fell limply to the ground.

"Let's just put her in that room around the corner for now," Priss said, her tone making it quite clear that she expected to be obeyed. "We can't handle this ourselves."

Kit's eyes went wide. "You're not going to call _Genom_, are you?"

Priss stopped for a moment, then said, "No. Even if they are her 'family' I don't like the idea of what they might do to her." She turned to Kit. "Just trust me, okay?"

Kit nodded. "Okay. I trust you."

"Good. Now help me drag her over there..."

///

She remembered the cold...

A myriad of tiny cuts stung her palms. Erik had told her not to go down to the lake, but she didn't give a damn. Scaling the cliff hadn't been too much of a problem, though it had hurt her hands, and as she stood on the muddy shoreline it seemed well worth it.

The water had to be freezing, but she didn't care about that either. For the first time in her life, she was going swimming in a real lake.

She pulled off her t-shirt, flinging it onto the ground. It'd get dirty, and she'd have to explain herself to Kathy - or worse, Cullyn - but at the moment she didn't dwell on it. She stepped toward the water, cold and injured hands fumbling at her belt, when she thought belatedly to see if anyone else was there.

_Nope...no one._ She was about to turn back toward the water when she noticed something half-concealed beneath a nearby bush. She grabbed her shirt and went closer...

It was a Boomer's hand. 

///

Kit trudged back down the stairs to the spare bedroom, then took one last look around the garage. Far past time for some rest, and everything seemed to be in order.

There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" She called out.

"Um...hello... I'm looking for a friend of mine?" The voice was female, vulnerable. "Maybe you've seen her. She's short, with brown hair and blue eyes...kind of thin...

"Please, I've been looking everywhere!" _She sounds desperate..._

Kit opened the door a crack and saw a short, slender Asian woman dressed fashionably in black leather and synthetics. "Hello?"

She opened the door a little more. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lorelei..." Cullyn said. "Lorelei Mahler. I'm a friend of Shaine Kohl's...?" Her fingernails were long, and painted a dark grey. Kit stared at them for half a second. Something just didn't seem right...

"Okay. What do you need her for?"

"Need her for? What are you talking about?" Cullyn looked perplexed. "She just disappeared; I don't know what happened to her..."

"Seems you need her help with something."

"I don't understand."

"Ohh." Kit shook her head. _Getting too late._ "I'm a bit lost. Sorry."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"She's my friend! And her family is worried sick..."

"Well, okay. If you're sure..."

The short woman shifted her weight a bit, and Kit could see a glint of gold in her dark eyes. She looked at the Replicant curiously. _I don't think she's just here for a social call...something's wrong about this!_ Cullyn flexed her hand, as if getting ready for something.

Kit backed away slowly, heading toward her worktable. Cullyn watched her coldly, then slid out the laser claws on her right hand.

"_Shit!_"

"Just give her to me and you won't get hurt. I can make them give you your garage back."

Kit lifted her wrench, holding it as if it were a sword. "And if I don't?"

Cullyn's left hand slid into her jacket, emerging with a Member II pistol. "That can be...worked around..." 

Suddenly she pitched herself forward and down. Kit heard a large wrench strike the wall not too far from where Cullyn's head had been. "_Shit!_"

Katerin stood in the doorway with several more tools in hand, waiting.

Cullyn glanced at the other Replicant, then over to where her gun had landed. It took only a split second to decide that it wouldn't be worth it. She began inching toward the door, then began a full-out dive toward the street outside.

"A murder of ravens came today..." The booming voice filled the room. Cullyn stopped in the doorway, looking up...and up...at the black, metal figure standing just outside the door.

"Aw, fuck..."

"We have come to judge..."

"What in the name of...?" Kit whispered.

"Care for any last words, Boomer?"

"I want more life, fucker!" She pulled herself to her feet and slashed at the Raven with her claws.

His sword met them, sending sparks flying. "Too bad. Lifespans are regrettably short in this city." Then he kicked her with one heavy boot. 

Cullyn fell, then stared at her hand. The tips of her nails were gone. "Never send a cat to a bird fight. You might get declawed." She dove toward the door again, twisting past him. The Raven fired a laser, but it missed by a hair, slicing a path over her left arm.

She raced off into the darkened street. "A warning, Boomer!" Crimson called after her. He looked back into the room. Katerin had crept closer, screwdriver in hand, clearly still on edge. Kit was sweating and panting visibly, but holding her ground.

Crimson ran out into the night, leaving the two women staring after him. Katerin relaxed immediately, sauntering back into her room as if it were all in a normal day for her.

Kit plopped against the wall, dropping her wrench. She had just caught her breath when the voice called out again.

"What did she want?"

Katerin stopped and looked back. "Oh, her? Same thing you do. Finish the job, right?"

The dark figure reappeared next to Kit. "That depends on you."

"_Aaaah!_" Kit jumped back.

Katerin smiled, then chuckled. "Sure."

"Who...who the hell are you?"

"What is your program?" Crimson demanded. Kit grabbed her wrench again, but he seemed not to care.

"To be her." Katerin stared up at him defiantly as he walked over to her.

"What's going _on_ here?"

"You have a badly damaged Class Six Boomer here. It is illegal and very dangerous. And it's coming with me."

"No."

"I wasn't asking."

"I said no."

Two flex cables extended from his hand and snaked around to the back of her head. She tried to shove them aside but failed.

"Is that why Genom wants my garage?" Kit whispered.

"One reason. A small part of a much bigger plan. They want your land; a new Boomer plant is to be built on this site." he said as he studied Katerin's programming. There was an erase command; he disabled it without hardly thinking.

"Those lying bastards!"

"Did you expect anything more from them?" The amusement in his tone was audible even after the suit's audio filters masked his voice.

Kit sighed. "I guess you've got me there."

"Genom will do whatever it feels it has to, no matter who or what gets in the way. You're just an insect to them - one they've already slated for extermination."

Crimson turned his attention back to the Boomer. "Now tell me your mission, word for word."

"To be Shaine Kohl. Perfectly and accurately, to the last detail."

"You are not Shaine Kohl. How can a Boomer replace a human?"

"I'm a Replicant," she corrected.

"Yes, a copy of a living human."

"Living?" Her eyes, which had gone blank before, flared back to life. "He lied. Or you lied... Fucking humans..."

"I have no need to lie to you, and after this no one will ever lie to you again. Now, why are you to replace Shaine?"

"Because he can't have the real thing."

"He who?"

"Erik."

"Erik Kohl."

"Yes."

"Why would he want to have a copy of her?"

"I told you. She's gone...or so he said."

"Yes, he killed her. We found her body."

"Hnh. Went through twenty others before me...doesn't seem unlikely."

"We've found no less than seventy like you. But that still doesn't answer the question."

"We were his family."

"You're a Boomer. You have no family."

"Don't need one. But he does. Me, him, Kathy...well, just him and Kathy now..."

"Explain."

"He was in love with the real Kathy. Then she died."

"So he made a Boomer of his brother's wife, who he could never have..."

"I don't know about that _never_...but yes, and killed Evon..."

Kit shook her head. "This is royally fucked up!"

"You have no idea..." Crimson murmured.

"So then he made a Boomer of his brother's daughter, who he could also never have?"

"Not Evon's daughter. Or so he also told me..."

"So he believed she was his."

"Yeah." Her tone of voice turned perfectly Shainish. "Don't ask me; I just work for humans."

"Does he have proof?"

"I don't know."

He laughed. "Well, you should. You're a very sloppy copy..."

"Yeah, well, bite me."

"One last thing: your access code. What is it?" A large, black bird flew through an open window and landed on his shoulder.

"NX-5701."

"There. Was that so hard? Now you can go where all good little Boomers go."

"To the scrap pile, huh?"

Crimson finished copying her code onto a new disk. "No, you'll become a raven. Meet Kathy; she was once like you."

"_Kathy?_ Huh...?"

"...But she now serves a higher purpose."

"Never...more..." the bird croaked shakily. "My dear..."

Kit stared at it, her eyes widening in fear.

"See? She's happier this way. And you will be too, once you have feathers..." He laughed again.

Kit dropped her wrench.

"You have nothing to fear from me, human. I mean you no harm."

"That's...c-comforting..."

Crimson turned Katerin off. "I'm sorry about the mess."

She nodded numbly. "Wh-who are you...?"

"I am a myth. A legend from beyond time come to serve the needs of this city's innocents. I am light wrapped around the darkness, the white shadow that slips in unseen. Does that answer your question?"

"I...I think so..."

"Good. I'll be watching over you." He picked up the Boomer and both disappeared.

Kit took a deep breath, shook her head, and started cleaning up. "Yes, Virginia, there is a Batman..." she muttered.

"Bird, not bat..." a deep voice corrected.

///

The cool spring air whipped her hair across her face as she ran back to the house. _Kathy...?_

Her "mother" was there, by the door. Letting out a choked sob, she flung herself into Kathy's arm and explained what she'd seen.

"What...what happened...? I thought..."

"Ssh. It's all right." Kathy cradled her in her arms, slowly leading her back into the house. "Just relax..."

Kathy set her down on the couch, still sobbing. _Is Cullyn here? ...No, don't think so. Good. _"Everything is going to be all right. You just found a rogue, that's all."

_What?! That's not possible. That couldn't happen to me...?_

Her thoughts were cut off by the heavy _thump_ of an EMP blast hitting off-center.

///

Priss looked around her new room, groggy after the short nap she had taken. There was a nightstand, a table...not in the best shape but adequate...and a phone.

The phone. It was ringing. Damn...

Priss fumbled for the switch on a nearby lamp, then pulled herself out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror, examining her face. It was drawn from fatigue...which was to be expected, she supposed. Slight bags under her eyes...a little bloodshot... She walked back to the bed.

There was an empty bottle of beer sitting under the dim light. Fly swimming pool...it'd been there a while. Her lip curled back in disgust. The bed looked so damned good, with cool sheets and a soft mattress...

She sighed as she looked over the room, raising one eyebrow. Then she crawled back into bed.

The phone began to ring again. It was one of those really old-fashioned types, annoyingly loud and near-impossible to ignore. She sat up.

"Argh...hello?"

"Hello, Priss. Is this a bad time?" _Sylia!_

Priss blinked her eyes in shock. "What is it?"

"I've called in a few favors..."

"Yeah?"

"Mind you, Priss, it wasn't easy, but there is a local group that might be able to help you. I've arranged for a meeting with them."

"For what?"

"For everything." She had that damned teasing tone in her voice that Priss knew all too well. Like she was tempting a customer or coming on to Nigel.

"I don't need any help."

"But I managed to arrange for you to meet with them! It was the best I could do..."

Priss's lip curled up. "I know, Sylia..." She sighed. "When's the meeting?"

"3:05am, their time. At some park...seems their leader finds it soothing."

"Great directions, Sylia. What park?"

"From what I understand, it's only a few minutes from where you're staying."

The light bulb inside the lamp flickered. "So...what? I'll just run into it or something?"

Sylia's cool voice began reciting a set of directions. "No, you'll walk...I do know him; he won't harm you, Priss. But he has been known to be...unreasonable."

"_He?_ Who is he?" Priss suddenly sat up very straight.

"He is Crimson, a local...operative. He's a good man, when he wants to be."

Priss said nothing, her thoughts chaotic at this newest turn of events.

"Trust me, Priss. I can't afford to lose you like this."

"Yeah?" She sighed, letting her eyes wander.

"Yes. If you want I can have them send a taxi to pick you up."

"No. I'll take my bike." She stood up, scratching her head.

"I know it's very late, Priss, but he does want to meet you as soon as possible."

"Fine."

Underneath the phone was an old-style fax; a sheet of paper shot out of it. "There's a map, if it does any good. Personally, I always get lost in that city..."

"This tells me where to meet this guy?" Priss's voice was dull.

"Yes, just ask for Crimson."

Priss sighed. "Yeah...right."

"Good. I'll call you again at a more civilized hour."

Priss reached out to hang up the phone, but Sylia had already hung up. The phone buzzed indignantly.

///

The cold night air stung Priss's face as she made her way through the park. Sylia's directions led her to a darkened path with overgrown trees, at the end of which could be seen a man. He was half cloaked with shadows, something odd on his shoulder. She couldn't see what it was just yet.

Priss looked over her dim surroundings, stopping short of the hidden figure. She clenched the handles of her bike, reluctant to go further.

"Priscilla Asagiri," he called out. It was not an invitation or a question...or a greeting. It was a simple statement.

"Who are you?"

"I am called Crimson. And as to who I am, like Miss Stingray, I seek to free mankind."

"Yeah? So what's this meeting about?"

"I meet with everyone connected to Stingray who passes through this town. She sent you to my city and I want to know why."

Priss removed her helmet, showing her face. She could see then that the thing on his shoulder was a large raven, and it was staring at her.

"She didn't tell you?" She countered sarcastically, looking at him. His face was plain, but broad...rather unremarkable.

"She never tells me anything unless it benefits her."

"Caw, araaaw!"

Priss sucked in her breath, startled by the bird.

"She thinks highly of you, enough so that I had to do my own background checks."

"She said that your people are supposed to help me."

Crimson offered his hand to the bird, which hopped down. "It's a raven. Our calling card. And yes, Miss Asagiri, we are here to help you."

"Whatever...are you?"

"I'm impressed by what I didn't find on you...which is why the fact that you ended up here, in Chicago, surprised me."

"I'm not here to impress anyone," she said in a calm, dull tone. "I just want to know why I'm here. What is this meeting about?"

"I take it you're not here in your official capacity? That you in no way represent the Sabers in any dealing with Genom?"

"I don't _deal_ with Genom," she snapped. "Where's the rest of you?"

"They're here, all around us..." He chuckled. Priss could hear movement, but see nothing.

She narrowed her eyes, studying the shadows a bit more closely. All she could see was an unusual number of ravens, one of them with feathers dyed bright pink.

"Are you gonna quit screwing with me and tell me what this is about?" Her voice was still dull and unimpressed.

"...But not of the hardsuited kind, as you can see. I assure you, Miss Asagiri, I am not screwing with you."

_This man has some serious problems. What the hell is this, Sylia?_

"Sylia has little to do with us, normally. And if it's true, you're not here by her orders. May I ask why it is that you are here?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm here on tour, that's it."

"I see. You must forgive me; I took that as a cover story."

"No. Sylia didn't tell you anything else?" She grabbed her helmet off the back of the bike, clearly disappointed.

"No, Miss Stingray is still angry at me. We have something she wants, and until a time comes when I feel free to give it to her..."

"What's that?"

"That, Miss Asagiri, is why we are here."

Five black hardsuits appeared as if by magic. "These are the Steel Ravens. My Knight Sabers, if you will."

Her eyes widened suddenly.

"How long do you intend to be in town?"

"Tch...not long, unless there's more to this."

"There always is." He could see that Priss was becoming impatient. "An open invitation, then, to join us for as long as you are in Chicago."

_What?_

"You have to forgive me, but it's not often that we can add a member without training her. Do you accept?"

"Let me talk to the rest of you first."

"Fair enough. We have a meeting stop, where you can always find one of us." He handed a business card to the bird, which flew over and dropped it in her hand. "The back booth. It's always open."

_Al's Italian Style Roast Beef - Best Beef in Chicago. Hm._

"An open invitation. It's also worth a free meal, every time."

"Yeah..." She pulled the helmet over her head and turned the key. "I'll be there."

"You want to talk to my people, they'll be there. You want to talk to me, I'll also be there. 

"We'll be waiting." The hardsuits disappeared before her eyes: a slight rippling effect, then they were gone.

"Maybe next time I can see your face," Priss snarled, then she sped off into the night.

_I hate these damned birds..._

///

_The next day..._

"Hi there...are you Kit?"

"Yeah. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you could take a look at my car." The tall man gestured toward a 70-something Barracuda just outside the garage.

_Nice car, but nothing outstanding. _She popped the hood. _Needs a new engine, and some body work. _

"This needs a lot of work, and it'll take a while, but I'll do it." _Looks like it's been in some sort of accident...the bubbles in the paint...must've been on fire. The doors are out of alignment...transmission is shot. Damn._

She wrote up an estimate and the tall man gave her a more than generous down payment, promising to spend as much as she thought necessary. Then he left.

Kit looked at the car again. "Egads."

As she began to work on the car, she found bullets, casings, scorch marks...and a strange black box. It was about five inches wide and ten inches long, made of black metal, with a port on one side which looked like it might connect to a computer. She put it to one side and went back to the car.

"Geesh, looks like this baby's seen some hefty action."

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Miss Katherine Bashe? I'm from the Office of Land Management. May I speak to you?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"May I come in?"

"Sure!" She opened the door to find a young man in a three-piece suit. "So what can I do for you, Mister..."

"I've come here on behalf of your landlord. He has sold the building, and I'm here to offer you a contract on the new development."

"Wait... When did this happen?"

"Yesterday. The Genom Corporation has purchased this land to begin a wonderful new land development."

"Genom, huh?" Her tone went flat. _Do they know about the Boomer? No, that's impossible..._

"Yes, ma'am. The new housing development is being offered to you at the rate of $1,900 a month."

"Nineteen hundred dollars? Reasonable?" She made raspberries at him.

"Why, that's quite reasonable. They lowered their price from twenty."

"That's still pretty steep."

"That's not how Genom sees it. So...can I sign you up for a ground floor apartment?"

"I can still live here...but for more than I was paying before?"

"Now, if you want, I can authorize a bank loan... --No. Or, more to the point, you will have to move to temporary housing until the new place is built. After they raze this, well..." He cut himself off. "Of course, the rent for the temp home is free."

_Why am I putting up with this crap? I ought to let him have it!_ She grabbed a nearby wrench. "Get out of my garage, you piece of slag!"

"Well, I never!" He began to scramble out, his sense of self-preservation winning out over his businesslike veneer. "You'll be hearing from me again," he called over his shoulder feebly.

"And tell Genom to take their _land development _and shove it up their ass!"

"I'll be back!"

She snorted. "Such nerve!" 

Seeing that he'd left the terms of contract on the table, she picked it up, glanced at it, and then threw it back down. "The garage is still in my name."

Kit headed toward the Cuda, muttering under her breath. 

Then she noticed the black box again...

She got the connector connected, and it brought up a dialog box: "Do you want to play a game; yes/no".

She clicked yes, and it brought up another window. "What is your name?" She typed in _Katherine Bashe_. "Welcome Katherine Bashe.

"If you witnessed a violent act and had a way to stop it, would you?" She typed _yes._

"Which do you believe is more important: human life or money?" _Human life._

"How do you feel toward Genom, and Boomers?" _Genom, although necessary for the economy, is dirt._

"Would you work for them if employment was offered?" _No._

The screen flashed, and the dialogs disappeared. A new screen popped up: an encrypted three-dimensional box. She decrypted one side; it flashed and rotated around to another side. "What is the square root of pi?" it asked. 

"Great," Kit muttered. She typed in an estimate, hoping it was close enough, and the second side flashed and disappeared.

"How would you fix a carburetor in the field?" She typed in an answer and the third side disappeared. "Where would you shoot a rogue Boomer if you hoped to stop it?" A Boomer model appeared, and she clicked on it right between the eyes. The box broke into pieces and faded away.

The screen dissolved into a first-person shooter, Kit versus the Boomers. She quickly shot down a cleaning Boomer, then walked forward into the building before her character. Inside, two waitress Boomers with giant tongues were licking coffee stains off of a human man. The first one looked at her, and began to charge.

She nailed it easily, and the second one came at her. Not too hard.

A new hallway appeared once the second Boomer had fallen, and she turned left. It got darker...she could see a Boomer dressed in latex, beating a human. Sparks jumped from the Boomer's head.

The human saw her.

"Are you okay?"

"Does it _look_ like I'm okay? Help! She's going to kill me!"

Kit fired at the Boomer, but it dodged. She rushed to free the human, but stopped when the Boomer brought out a whip. Somehow she managed to avoid it, and shoot the handcuffs restraining the human. Undoing the ropes around his feet, she cried, "Run!" Bringing her gun up again, she shot point blank at the Boomer and it melted into so much slag.

The game world dissolved into black, and words appeared on the screen. A date, and a time...underneath was a map giving directions to the park. She scrambled to write them down, then just as she finished the screen blanked out. There was a beeping noise, and then a dial-up signal. After that, it went dead.

"Huh...that's weird."

///

The sky was already growing dark. Stars peeked out from behind thick stormclouds. "Good thing I brought my umbrella," Kit murmured.

At the end of the walkway she could see a dark, man-sized shape. "Hello?"

"Come closer," he said. As she did so she could see that he wore a long trenchcoat, along with a hat and sunglasses. It was difficult to make any sort of statement about his actual appearance other than to mention that his skin was dark.

"Good evening."

He looked up toward the trees. "Yes...yes, it is. So how did you find our little test?"

"It was in the back seat of one of my 'projects.' "

He grinned. "Yes, I know, but the true question is, how much do you know? And how much do you want to know?"

"I don't know much, I'm afraid...but what I do know kinda makes me want to know more."

"I see...tell me what you know."

"I know that whoever is behind this has a problem with Genom...and right now, so do I."

"Yes, they're buying out your land..."

"Exactly." She stopped. "Wait. How did you know that?"

"It's my job to know what they do, when they do it, and to stop them from doing it."

"Oh...kaaaayyyy..."

"What if I told you you're not alone?"

"Well...that would make me feel a little better."

"And that, even if you did have proof, the courts would step aside in favor of Genom?"

"That would really piss me off."

"I'm sorry, but this isn't about human feeling. It's about power, money...and Genom's vision of Chicago...and humans have very little to do with that." He looked straight at her. "So how pissed would you get? What would you do to stop them?

"More than that, what would you _give_ to stop Genom?"

"I..." Kit hesitated. She took a step back, trying to see more clearly. There was a huge black bird sitting on his shoulder, and it unnerved her.

"It's time to choose. The blue pill will let you wake up from a dream...but take the red one, and you'll see just how far down the rabbit hole you can go..."

She thought she heard a shadow of the Replicant's laugh. It was faint, though...like a dream... The raven looked around as if trying to find the source of the sound, and the dark-skinned man seemed to twitch.

"For a chance to get those scumbags out of my garage for good...I'd shake hands with the devil."

"Trust me, Miss Bashe, I don't want your soul."

Kit sighed softly. "Well, that's a relief."

"Not many can say that." He smiled darkly. "There are rules, though, a code that we follow..."

"A code?"

"It is for your protection. And ours."

"Okay..."

"You will not divulge any information concerning the Steel Ravens. You will never act upon a personal grudge. You will never act without the mutual consent of all Ravens...

"You will not attempt to secede from this organization. You are responsible for damage to the organization's equipment while it is in your possession or use, unless that damage was unavoidable.

"You will never divulge information regarding any of our clients. You will not attempt to gather intelligence on your own. This task will be divided among all members as seen fit. You will keep in regular contact with other members.

"The penalty for violating any of the rules is death. Do you understand that this is the price of destroying Genom?"

Kit took a deep breath. "I understand." Her eyes were still on the raven, which seemed edgy. Its eyes darted around, taking in as much of the shadows as they could.

"Don't mind him," Crimson said mildly. A bright light suddenly shone through the treetops and a door appeared behind him. "Well, Alice. It seems we've found the rabbit hole...shall we find out what's at the other end?"

Kit shielded her eyes from the light. "Holy..."

A tall, redheaded man with a crooked smile stepped out of the shadows. "Hey, Crimson!" He stepped through the door. Another figure, a shorter woman, followed him. Kit couldn't see her too well; she was still blinded by the light and the woman never turned toward her.

"That's Wolverine, our close combat expert," Crimson explained as he led Kit into the Wing. "Go ahead, have a seat."

"New member, huh?" Mitch grinned. _Boy, is she in for the ride of her life..._

"And this is Freefall, electronic warfare."

"I'd introduce myself...but I think you already know my name?"

"You..."

"Yeah." Her face remained entirely impassive. Cold. Just like the Boomer...

"You look just like..that girl I found by my garage!"

"It's not a girl. It's a Boomer." Her eyes flashed cold, like a midwinter storm or a river run out of control. "It's a monster."

"Oh, my God..." Kit's eyes had gone wide and her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Yes, seems you have someone's play toy back at your house." Shaine stiffened at that description, but said nothing. "This is the real person it was based upon."

Kit was likewise too stunned to speak; Shaine recovered first. "Someone...lost a woman he loved, and couldn't accept that. So he decided to become the center of her daughter's world. And when he lost the daughter...he couldn't accept that either.

"So he made that..._thing_...that you saw."

"We have been fighting Genom for more years than I care to count. Over those years I have handpicked those who have skills that can help us. Freefall, for her abilities with computers." The other woman stared at Kit darkly; Kit glanced back, slightly scared. "Wolverine, for his police connections and close combat skills." Mitch smiled, and Kit turned her eyes back to Crimson. "You've been chosen for your repair skills."

"I'm...ah...flattered..."

"You didn't fix that _thing,_ did you?" Shaine burst out. Crim looked at her, and she glared right back at him as Mitch laughed quietly.

"I didn't know how..."

"Yeah..." Shaine shook her head and muttered, "That's right..."

"What you found was an advanced type of Boomer known as a Replicant," Crimson explained. "Only five Genom facilities are capable of producing them. They're nearly more human than human...and very dangerous. But then you already know _that_."

Crimson's raven began cawing and flapping around by the lockers on either side of the Wing. It rammed into one, cawing wildly and trying to rip through the metal door with its claws. Shaine swore incredulously in another language...it sounded like German, maybe...

"What is up with that bird?"

"Doesn't like...the B-word." Shaine scowled.

"Ohh..."

Crimson pulled out a large gun and went to the lockers. "Shaine, control your pet!" Mitch snapped.

"Hey, I'm a hacker, not a fucking animal trainer! ...Morri, here!"

"Quiet, both of you!" Mitch hid his smile behind his hand as Crimson opened the locker to reveal...absolutely nothing. The raven landed on the floor of the locker, still cawing wildly.

Just then there was a soft but distinctly metallic _thump_. "What the--?" Kit whimpered.

Shaine and Mitch drew their guns in one almost perfectly synchronized motion. "Wolverine, take the south wall. Open everything. Freefall, north. Kit, don't move!"

Shaine glanced back at the locker, then ran to Crimson's side and threw open another locker door, aiming inside. "Nothing here..." She could hear Mitch yanking open door after door on the other side of the plane. "Dani's tits, man, what is going _on?_"

The next door yielded an answer. Priss Asagiri sat inside the locker, looking rather cramped.

She glared sharply at Shaine, not even seeming to notice the barrel of the Miyako, which was aimed squarely at her chest. "What the fuck are _you_ doing here?"

"Crim...?"

Mitch rushed up behind Shaine to cover the intruder. "Who are you? Locker fairy?"

"And what if I am?" Priss stared back at Mitch.

"No," Crimson said, a grim smile upon his face. "More like a Knight Saber."

"What?" Shaine's head jerked up, her aim spoiled.

"Priscilla S. Asagiri," Crimson said. "Also known, though not to many, as the Knight Sabers' close combat person. ...And lead singer of the band Sekiria, though that's hardly relevant."

Mitch laughed. "Mind telling what's with the visit?"

"Priss?" Kit got up and hurried toward the locker as Priss, still covered by Shaine, crawled out. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, so now we've got Priss and the Replicants, huh?"

"Truth is stranger than fiction, Shaine. You should know that." Crimson smiled at the newcomer. "So, Priss, have you decided to take us up on the dinner offer?"

Mitch holstered his gun, and Shaine reluctantly set hers on her seat next to her purse.

Priss cleared her throat, and stepped away from the locker. "Dinner sounds good..." Mitch sat down, laughing softly.

"Freefall, remind me to have Belladonna clean this jet out..." Crimson's nose wrinkled up in sympathy as he stepped closer to the locker in which Priss had hidden. "And her dirty innerwear..."

"Caw, araw!" The raven flapped back up to Crimson's shoulder.

"Any other surprises, Crim?"

Priss stared at the raven, scowling. "That damned thing would make a good dinner, now that I think about it...and as hungry as I am..."

Crimson waited for her to finish speaking, then answered Mitch: "Yes, I am going to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and make Chicago disappear."

Shaine shook her head. "That's not even funny, man."

"You'd be surprised at how useful the ravens can be. This one told us that you were there long before we would have known relying on our own senses."

Kit walked back to her seat, feeling faint. _I just don't get this...the girl, the Boomer...Priss...what is going on?_ She collapsed, limply, just before she got there.

"Aw, shit..." Shaine drawled.

"Great. Another for Branks to poke at. Rai, ETA to the nest?"

"Five minutes."

Mitch knelt before Kit, pulling a vial of smelling salts out of his pocket. He waved them under her nose, and she woke up with a start. "Are you okay?" He smiled at her.

Kit smiled back, a little. "No, not really..."

"So, Miss Asagiri. Do I take this to mean that you've decided to join us?"

She glanced at Crimson. "Don't you wish you knew?"

"No, not really. I don't need to babysit Sylia's outcasts. Or her spies."

Priss stood there silently, ignoring Crimson, as Mitch helped Kit back up.

"Thanks!"

"Don't sweat it," Mitch said reassuringly. "Just a little culture shock, I think."

"Of course...it does take a bit more than that to cut it as a Raven," Crimson said.

"Docking in twenty-nine seconds." There was the sound of the Wing landing, and docking clamps falling into place. The doors opened and Crimson walked outside, followed by Shaine and then Mitch.

"Whatever..." Priss muttered, stepping out into the hangar. 

Kit's eyes widened as she left the plane. The hangar was huge, holding two planes and a car but with room for more.

"Nest sweet nest," Mitch said, and offered a hand to Kit. 

"Wolverine, take Kit to the good doctor and have her check her out. Then bring her down to the meeting room. Freefall, you can show Priss around while the two of you are waiting."

"Okay..." Shaine watched Mitch and Kit leave out of the corner of her eye. _Well, at least those two look like they could make a good team. Girl's got a sense of compassion if nothing else._

"Thank you."

Priss's brow arched as she looked at Shaine again. Shaine slowly walked toward the door, leaving Priss to follow her...or not. Crimson headed down toward another door as Rai, still in his suit, stepped out of the back of the Wing. Unlike the Sabers' suits, this one was almost all black. Its helmet was white, with red markings.

She idly wondered if all of the Ravens' suits looked like that - and marveled at the sight of a male hardsuit. It seemed almost...unnatural.

"Caw, caw!" He called after them. Shaine ignored him and kept going, Priss in tow.

///

Priss studied Shaine's back for a good while - not an entirely bad view, the back of her tee was one large image of Mulder and Scully hugging - and eventually found herself led to the meeting room. Crimson, Mitch and Kit were already there, sitting on a large couch. The room was done up in black and white, lit softly...a far cry from Sylia's control room.

Shaine sat down across from the others and slouched with all her might. Priss, meanwhile, took up a position further away, leaning against one wall with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Crimson stood. "Departing from our normal method of operations, we will be having dinner in here as well as a debriefing. Due to our last mission, we are down two people. Snakebite is still injured, and Saki is grounded. Therefore...we're in need of new blood."

Priss pressed her lips into a thin line as she glared at the bird. "Caw, caw! Araw!"

Crimson looked at it. "Down, now." It looked back, then flapped out of the room. "They're friendly once you get to know them."

"Friendly, my ass..." Priss muttered softly.

"As I was saying, Kit was chosen to-- Ms. Asagiri, at this time your ass has nothing to do with the birds."

_Oh, but you're wrong. I could sit on them and smother them just as they deserve._ But she said nothing.

"If you want, though, you may certainly have a seat..."

Kit giggled. Priss smiled innocently at Crimson and sat down near but not next to Shaine as Belladonna walked in, holding several menus which she passed out to the others.

"Shaine, I want you to help Kit during her training."

"Me?"

"Yes, Jinks is still down, and the others have other things to do."

Kit smiled and took a menu. "Thank you."

"No problem!" Bell smiled. "Al likes the big orders... And if you don't see it on the menu, Al will still make it for you."

"I could die for some barbecue ribs...and I hope you have some good German beer around here?"

"Sure, just have to raid the Boss's office!" Bell whispered conspiratorially. "--Er, the beer, not the ribs."

"Make that two," Mitch said. "But I want a Guiness with mine."

"Only if you don't sing 'Danny Boy'!"

"Maybe later, Bell..."

Crimson rolled his eyes dramatically. "Great. I'll get the earplugs..."

Priss set down her menu and glanced at Bell. "A veggie burger with mushrooms and swiss cheese...and I'll have a glass of water."

"I'll have two cheeseburgers and fries, please. And do you have any Pepsi?"

Bell laughed at Kit. "We _own_ Pepsi! And have a controlling share in Coke...and Mountain Dew..."

"No way!"

"...Which has been in short supply... Boss, you want anything?"

"Not right now, Bell."

Mitch chuckled softly. "Want a Dew, Shaine?"

"No," she growled back.

"As _if!_ She hasn't even come down from the last case." This prompted an icy glare from Shaine, who was obviously in the mood for revenge...

"Bell, go get the drinks," Crimson ordered. "Now, then. As a Raven you will be trained in the use of our hardsuits, vehicles, and weapons. Each of you will be chosed for a specialization in field operations once the training is completed. Training shall last for a week, and you will as usual be responsable for the hardware and equipment issued to you. You will pay for any avoidable damage to it.

"But we'll cover that more later. As for what we are... We as a whole are unknown - rumor, myth urban legend... Criminals speak of us in hushed tones and Genom disavows us - while trying at the same time to crush us..."

Shaine's eyes went hard, and her jaw tightened. At the same time, Mitch cracked his knuckles at the thought of Genom. Crimson cast a look at them, then continued.

"One factor in our success has been the hardsuits' cloaking field. In time you will learn how to use it. I won't bore you with the specs, but the basic idea is that it bends light around us, while scanning to match the environment. So far, nothing has been able to break this field - save for the fact that when you run in a hardsuit...sound, unlike light, is a bit hard to mask. So far, we are the only known group using Stingray technology to have this advantage."

"Stingray technology?" Kit echoed.

"Katsuhiro Stingray," Shaine explained. "He designed the suits. And Boomers."

"It's the overall name for hardsuit tech," Crimson added.

"Oh."

"He was...a visionary, but his work has been misused." Crimson looked up at Priss, who raised her glance to meet his and raised an eyebrow.

"My father used to talk about him like he was God..." Shaine said wistfully.

"Our motor pool is extensive: three Raven Wing jets, fifty motorbikes, ten motoslaves, and a few cars and trucks. Please do note that you should go easy on the cars...the Cudas aren't cheap to replace."

Belladonna returned with the drinks. Kit smiled and thanked her; Priss and Shaine simply took them and Shaine started drinking straight from the bottle. Just as she reached Mitch, red lights began to wash over the room.

Shaine sputtered and set the water down. Crimson walked to a control panel on the wall and pressed a few buttons.

"What's that?" Kit asked nervously.

"We've got a Boomer going rogue." A screen next to Crimson displayed a map of the city, with the Boomer's position marked in red. "Gold Coast, a mile from the manor. Shaine, Mitch, suit up."

He turned apologetically to Kit. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come with--"

"What about the training?"

"You'll just be along for the ride, not the fight." She reluctantly put down her drink and walked out, following Shaine.

"And Priss, you may want to come as well, seeing as you've had some time in a suit."

Priss set down her glass and stood. Wordlessly, she turned on her heel and walked out, past Crim.


	3. Genomancer

Genomancer

Genomancer  
_By Ashleii, Harris, Kit, Mitch, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: PG-13._

_So cold..._ Kit gingerly lowered herself into the hardsuit, leaning heavily on Shaine. She bit her lip and bent as Shaine wordlessly tugged her arm forward. The suit closed around her, and she straightened back up.

"Thanks, Shaine."

"No problem. Just don't forget the seal on your helmet." She stretched, then began checking the systems on her own suit.

Kit moved her arms, then bobbed up and down. _Easy enough to move in...it's not anything like a K-suit. I think I might do okay._

"Yeah, that looks okay..." Shaine nodded. "Ready to try walking down to the tube?"

"I think so."

"Okay. Follow me." She left the room, Kit and Priss in tow. 

Crimson was waiting for them, helmet in hand, with Mitch beside him. "We have reports of a standard rogue Boomer, medium weapons, unknown class. I'm expecting it to be far worse. Move out, and be careful."

The tube door opened, and Shaine stepped inside. Its walls rotated, revealing another chamber.

Kit took a deep breath and walked into it. "Here goes something..." Mitch followed as soon as the tube had cycled again, and then Priss.

Harris walked into the room, wearing his suit.

"Harris, you up for this one?"

"Yeah, let's go." Both entered the tube, which then filled with blue-white light. Kit gulped, but stood stock-still. The glow grew stronger, then they shot out into the night sky. 

"_Whhhhhhaaaaaaaaa!!!!_"

"What do you think of the view, Kit?" Mitch asked.

"Only way to see the city," Crim said fondly.

"It's okay, Kit!" Shaine called. _Hey, wait a minute...is that Harris's backup suit? What the fuck?_

"Shut up, you dolt!"

"Who you calling a dolt, you jerk?"

"So where's my barf bag?" Priss said in a dull monotone.

_Oh, yeah...guess it is._ "Can it, Harris. --Oh...and by the way, I thought you had a boo-boo, hmmmm?"

"Boo-boo? Well, bitch, if you think so then kiss it and make it better. If not, shut the fuck up!"

"Freefall, find us our rogue." Crimson cut in.

"I love my job. Really I do."

"Yeah, Freefall, I know what you mean!" Mitch smiled.

"Well...it's not like I regularly go flying over the city..." There was still a slight quaver in Kit's voice.

"It takes some time, but you get used to it."

"If you say so, Crimson!"

"It's one mile away," Shaine reported. "Moving toward us. High weapons level...ADP's already after it."

"That would be it. Activate verniers and descend."

"Excuse me, dolt? As I was saying...if you can't keep the noise level to an absolute minimum while the comms are open...then I shall shut you up myself."

Shaine opened a private link to Kit. "Take him serious on that one...and trust me, you don't want him to shut you up..."

Kit pressed what she thought was the mute control. "Asshole," she muttered.

Harris slid in back of Kit and flew up toward her, slamming his elbow into the back of her suit. She cried out in confusion as she fell several feet, then managed to regain control of the suit and ascend to rejoin the group. "I warned you..."

"Children," Priss sighed, glancing at her radar. Shaine scowled and armed her weapons systems.

Harris pulled up to Kit again. "Next time I make sure it's more than a few feet." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Knock it off, Snakebite." Crimson snapped.

Moments later they landed in the middle of a car-lined street. In the distance was smoke, and sirens blared. Kit fumbled to activate her weapons as she saw the others doing so. 

"It's coming this way. Heads up."

Once the Boomer had closed to a distance of two blocks, it opened fire with a Vulcan gun cannibalized from a police helicopter. Priss started to tense, then relaxed herself as she veered to the left, watching the others dodge the gunfire and begin to counterattack.

"Crossfire on it; I'll keep it busy." Crimson said. 

The Boomer charged toward Crimson, concentrating its fire on him. Soon it had closed with him and taken him to the ground. Mitch continued firing with his laser; it looked up and returned fire but the volley mostly hit the parked cars beside Mitch.

Harris came in behind the Boomer and slashed at its back with his laser sword; it reared back and roared as Mitch and then Shaine joined in the attack. Priss hovered in the background, holding her fire. She'd been in the back of the group and was still too far away to get in any good shots. Kit likewise held back; afraid of hitting Crimson.

Crimson raised his laser sword and severed the Boomer's arm. He then fired his jets as it staggered to its feet, missing the back of its head as well. "Snake, railgun. Wolv, get your claws ready and go for the core."

Once Crimson was out of the way, Priss allowed her anger to flare to life. Dashing forward, she aimed her laser at the Boomer's midsection and fired. _Damn that thing for making me miss my dinner - and wear this piece of crap suit! Stingray would be spinning in his grave if he saw these things..._ Harris's rails and her lasers hit at the same time; the rails exploded and the Boomer staggered back. 

Mitch ripped the core out with one slash, then stood back as the Boomer toppled to the ground. Priss snickered softly. "About damned time!"

Her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden rain of laser fire from above. Five forms stood atop a building on one side of the street, cloaked by shadows. Shaine and Harris immediately cloaked and began firing as they fell back; the others cloaked as well.

"Shit...thought this was too easy!" Shaine very narrowly resisted the urge to sass him back, instead checking to make sure Kit had figured out how to use her cloaking device.

"Priss, Snake, prepare to ascend. We'll take them from the rooftops." Priss's lips twisted into a wry smile as she hit her jet verniers. _I hope this clunker at least has a sword on it...ah, yes, there it is._ Though her usual Knight Saber suit didn't have one, she was glad for it at the moment.

And she was even gladder when she saw what was waiting for her on the rooftop. They looked somewhat human, but were covered in black scales and frills. Each also had a tail and glowing, supernatural eyes to complete the lizardman image.

Crimson and Mitch reached the rooftop as Harris fired upon the creatures without hesitation. They proved to be swift and agile, easily dodging his shots. "Damn!" He armed his sniper rifle, taking aim again. He hit that time, and one of the lizard-creatures jerked back and fell to the ground. Shaine and Kit continued firing from the ground.

"What the...?" Shaine gasped. "I'm not getting any readings at all from up there!"

Crimson ignored that; advancing on one of the lizards. "Hand to hand. Get in close; keep them from moving too far."

Shaine held her fire and watched helplessly as the lizards charged the other Ravens. Kit followed her lead, simply staring at the remaining monsters.

"Damn it to hell!" _Sylia, I am going to _kill_ you for dragging me into this...making me wear this stupid fucking suit!_ Priss let her rage consume her, firing again and again at another lizard. They had taken a fighting stance, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Crimson draw a pair of laser swords.

Mitch lashed out with his claws after missing one with his laser; impaling the lizardman. It retreated, placing its hand over the wound, and began firing with its own weapons. Mitch rushed forward again and beheaded it, turning just in time to see another spit some sort of green goo at Priss.

It missed, though not by much, and burned away the roof where it hit. Another lizard ran off with the severed head of Mitch's opponent, and Harris finished off yet another of the creatures with his laser.

_Only two left..._ One was still spitting at Priss; the other running for the edge of the roof. Shaine fired at the second, and it collapsed.

Priss grunted with exertion as she slid in toward the last one, narrowly evading another volley of goo. She sliced neatly through its chest, cutting it in two, and stepped back quickly. More goo poured from the body, eating through the roof - which collapsed beneath it, sending the body tumbling down into the building below.

Shaine activated her verniers and flew up to join the others, then watched as the other bodies dissolved into steaming green liquid. "Yummm."

"See anything, Freefall?"

"Nope. No readings at all, Wolv." Mitch walked over to one body and examined it; Priss and Shaine kept their distance. Harris sighed, letting himself relax somewhat, and stepped away as the puddle by his feet began to eat through the roof.

"We fought _something_, so there should be some kind of reading." Crimson said. "Try a satellite link."

Shaine nodded. "I'm getting lots of ozone...and there's something moving away from here. Can't tell what it is. It's flying...very fast..."

"Call the Wing."

Shaine turned away from the others for a moment, then reported, "The Wing will be here in ten minutes."

"Track that bogie."

She turned away again, focusing on her sensors. Kit shakily pushed off from the ground and landed beside her on the roof, then walked gingerly toward the remains of the lizard creatures, utterly speechless.

"Rai to Freefall."

"Go ahead, Rai."

"I'm five and closing. Tell the boss man."

She re-opened her comms. "Rai'll be here in five."

Crimson walked to the edge of the roof and stared at the city below. "Snakebite..."

"Yes?"

Priss abandoned her position near the far end of the roof, walking toward Crimson and Harris. "What the fuck _were_ those?"

"They weren't Boomers," Crimson replied.

"No shit they weren't Boomers!" Shaine shook her head.

"Mutations of some sort..." Harris mused. "Genetic engineering."

Shaine's head came up. "Rai's headed in."

"M-13 into things like that, Snakebite?"

"I wouldn't know. I was hired help. Sure, I got shit from labs, but if it was for this I couldn't tell you."

Mitch finished scanning the bodies and stood. "The acid is very strong, but dissolves into a harmless water base." 

He seemed ready to say more, but a voice over the comms cut him off. "Anyone need a taxi?" The Wing took shape above them.

Crimson looked up and grinned. "Yeah, you're late!"

///

"Listen up. We're going to follow an...unknown craft...that was at the battle scene. When we catch up we may have to board it. If you don't feel up to that risk, I need to know now."

"Um, Boss," Rai's voice came from the cockpit, "I don't think we need to worry. It found us..."

"What?" An explosion shook the Wing.

Rai swore explosively. Priss quickly grabbed the back of the chair in front of hers. "What the...?"

"Can't this thing fight back?" Kit gasped.

"_Yes_. Freefall, targeting. Harris and Mitch, guns. Everyone else hang tight."

The three of them rushed to their stations; moments later there was a flash and a shutter...followed by another flash and a shutter... "We got 'em! They're going down!"

"Follow it! Prepare to go to ground."

Shaine closed her eyes and sat back. _Shit! I hope I'm not going to have to earn my name again..._

The landing was smooth, however, and the back door of the Wing opened up onto a parking lot across from a Walmart. The front doors of the store had been smashed in and a strange silver vehicle was half-buried in its ruins.

"It's true," Rai said. "You can find anything at Walmart."

Shaine nodded, then drawled, "We got ourselves a real live dead alien."

"Does that mean I'm Mulder, Scully?"

"_NO!_"

"Damn."

Priss glanced sharply at Shaine, then went back to staring at the ruins.

"And where did you hear about that?"

Rai smiled sweetly. "A little bird told me..."

"Find the cockpit," Crimson ordered. Shaine shook her head and began scanning the wreckage.

Smoke billowed from a door opening at the back of the aircraft. The Ravens brought their weapons to bear on it as a form fell through the opening.

Harris and Priss walked toward the humanlike shape as it shakily got to its knees. There was a large burn hole on its back, and it was more slender than the lizards, with a thicker hide. 

"I'm getting lifesigns..." Shaine said.

Harris kicked at its head...which promptly fell off and went flying across the ground. 

"...Or maybe not...?" she finished feebly.

Another head, this one with long, catlike ears, was visible where the first had been. Mitch picked up the first head, which appeared to be a helmet. He tossed it in the air once._ This thing is awfully light!_

"Put it in the plane."

Harris lifted the cat, which was female and about the size of a small child. It had a muzzle and whiskers...

Kit gawped. "Holy..."

"Awww," Priss crooned sardonically. "Looks like we found somebody's pet...?"

"In that case, I'd hate to see its master." Crimson frowned. "We'll take it back to the base."

"Want to kill it first?"

"No. It may hold a clue to the others. Shaine, get me a line to the Nest." Harris sighed and made his way back to the Wing. "Strap it down tight, Snake, and don't take your guns off of it."

"Ready, Boss."

Crimson nodded. "Hugo, we need a heavy carrier out here. ...Yes, a UFO... Now."

"What's happening, Crim?"

"Not sure, Wolv. At this point, I think the universe just played us for fools." Crimson stood at the Wing's door, but did not go in. "Rai, take them back to base. I'm going to wait for Hugo and the carrier."

"Roger. I'll leave a Motoslave." Rai opened a rear compartment and rolled it out, then went back to the cockpit. 

"Okay, Birds, we are out of here!"

///

Priss stood and took off her helmet, sighing at bit at the lizardman stink still on all of them. She walked out of the Wing as Harris unstrapped and picked up the cat.

"I'll be at the dartboard if you need me," Mitch said, and left. The others followed suit.

A few minutes later, Belladonna walked into the women's changing room. "Heyyy! What happened out there?"

"You loudmouth!"

She looked at Shaine as if she had been slapped. "What?"

"What did you tell Rai about...well... About everything!"

"Hell, no! I didn't tell Rai anything; he owes me money!" Shaine shook her head. "I swear I didn't tell him a thing...oh, but what was it I told him?"

Priss shook her head and walked out of the locker room. _The perfect dysfunctional team._


	4. Modern Legend

Modern Legend

Modern Legend  
_By Shaine and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: PG._

"Valentine" Michael Smith woke to the sound of a ringing phone. _Aw, shit..._ Somehow, he managed to become vertical and reach for it just before the answering machine cut in.

"Unhhh...h'lo?"

"Hello? Is this Mulder?"

"Uh--whuh? Who is this?"

"Um, I'm a friend of Scully's. She said you saw something...?"

"Whoah, wait!" He found himself waking up rather more quickly than was to be expected. "Another friend of Scully's, huh? Man...I do _not_ have time for this!"

"I was wondering if you wanted to tell your story."

"Story?"

"Um, yeah. About the Birdman? I'll pay..."

At the sound of those two magic words, all was forgiven. Well, for the voice on the other end of the phone, at least. Scully still had a lot of explaining to do. "Birdman, huh. Sure, why not."

"Great. Meet me at the IHOP on Belmont, say at ten?"

"Okay."

"See you then, Mulder."

Val hung up. "Maaaan..."

///

"It's a hundred and six miles to Chicago," Val muttered, standing before the IHOP's door. "I've got a full tank of gas...and a half a pack of cigarettes."

He checked his ponytail, then his jacket. He looked like a Hanson brother gone Goth, but he didn't realize it. "It's dark..." _Well, not really..._ "...And I'm wearing sunglasses.

"Hit it."

Inside, only one table was occupied. Bunch of kids at the back table, all of them dressed funny. Like something out of the 1950's. _All right...which one is it this time? Tall one? Short one? ...Or one of the girls...?_

_Aw, fuck, don't let Scully be cheating on me with a girl...?_

He mustered as much (or little as the case may be) courage as he could and strutted toward the back of the room.

"Okay, which one of you is it who knows Scully?"

"Greetings, Mr. Mulder," the shorter male said. Val recognized him as the one who'd talked to him on the phone. "Please, sit down."

"What is this? You're just a bunch of kids..." He muttered something under his breath about "really robbing the cradle this time..."

"So it would seem," Omar continued smoothly, "But would _a bunch of kids_ be able to hand you five hundred dollars just for a free meal?"

Val looked up sharply. "Huh?"

"We wish to hear your tale, as I said. And we are willing to pay. Five hundred, up front."

"Yeah..." A grin slowly spread across Val's face. "Sure."

"And your meal, of course." Omar handed him a menu.

"So. You want to hear about this Birdman, huh?"

"Yes, and record its myth for all time..."

"Wellllll...Scully was out of town, right? And one day I go out to get some beer and cigs and this big-ass flock of birds swoops down and grabs the stuff just as I'm heading home." All four began to take notes. "Then one of your Birdmen shows up and he picked me up and flew me around the city."

"Go on," Omar prompted.

"Said something about about...oh, man, what was it...the two dragons who live in the tower or some other mystical bullshit." He shook his head. "Then it just flew back down close to the ground and dropped me. Man..."

"Dragons?"

"Yeah. Dragons."

"Were you drinking that night?"

"Hell, no! That's why I went out was to get the booze...the house was dry, man! If Scully's still hung up over that, well, I don't know what to tell her!"

"Okay, and why did it pick you?"

"How the fuck should I know? I sure as hell didn't ask for it."

"What did it look like?"

"Welllll...it was maybe twelve feet tall...pitch black, red glowing eyes...and the _wings!_ Man!"

"Wings. Describe the wings for us."

"They were at least as wide as it was tall...black metal...didn't get a good look."

"Okay. Did it do anything, like shoot fire from its eyes or hands?"

"Nope."

"Did it become a ball of fire, or disappear into a ball of light?"

"Well it disappeared, yeah, but when it was gone there was just nothing there."

"Oh, transdimensional destabilization!" Deis said.

"Uhhh... Yeah, what she said. Sure."

"Did it display any other powers?"

"Wellllll no..."

"All right." Omar was still writing furiously. "Do you remember anything else that it did or said?"

"Nope."

"Okay... Now, Mr. Smith here is going to draw a sketch of it, and you can tell him if he's right."

Poe began to draw, and Val leaned over the table to watch. "Yeah...yeah, that's what it looks like! But it didn't look all that noble. More like a predator, man." Poe frowned, changed a few lines, and held up a sketch that looked a bit more like Batman.

"Uh, yeah. That's closer."

"Any suggestions?"

"Nah, I think you got it man." _Not even close, but who cares?_

"Prodigious!"

The waitress arrived, and Val ordered what seemed to be just about one of everything. The rest each asked for a soda and hamburger. "...Oh, and some coffee!"

The waitress nodded and muttered something under her breath.

"So what was it like, flying with one of them?" Mav asked.

"Welllll, I dunno. Didn't impress me."

"True flight, and the man was not impressed?"

Val shrugged. "Yeah, well...I'm into that whole extreme sports thing, y'know? It takes a lot more than some freak in a tin can..."

"So you believe it was human?" Poe said.

"Well...what else would it be? I mean, Boomers just don't do stuff like that."

"Supernatural," Mav breathed.

"Aw, _man!_" Val laughed loudly. "You gotta be _kidding!_" One he could stop laughing enough to speak again, he gasped, "Man...yer crazier than Scully..."

"There are legends dating back over 2250 years of a birdlike man in the Greater Chicago area. Or it could be a new type of human life."

Val shook his head. "You guys _are_ crazy..."

"Or a new type of Boomer one of Genom's rivals made up, one that went rogue..."

"Genom." Val suddenly felt cold. _Always comes back to him, doesn't it..._

_Enough to make me wish I'd never met her._

"More things in heaven and Earth than in your philosophy, Mulder," Poe replied.

"Yeah...guess it could be...but I don't wanna talk about it, 'kay?"

"...Which _could_ mean that he stands against them," Omar continued.

Val's tone turned dark. "I said...drop it."

Omar and Deis exchanged a glance. "Sure."

The waitress returned, and Val tore into the food with a vengeance, barely noticing when Deis excused herself to use the restroom, and Mav went with her in traditional female fashion. Nor did he particularly pay attention when Omar's cell phone rang, apparently having a bad connection, and the shorter boy slipped outside to take the call.

Nor did he happen to see Poe simply and suddenly disappear moments after the rest...leaving behind only a stack of fifty dollar bills piled neatly in the center of the table.

Or, to be exact, one fifty and a stack of blank papers underneath that were the shape and size of a fifty.

One fifty...

_Okay...I am going to pound those little leeches into snot...but more than that...I am going to _kill_ Scully..._

On top of it, they'd somehow managed to take their food - leaving him, quite conveniently, with the bill. Val whimpered but kept eating, his appetite unsinkable, until the waitress returned.

He smiled stiffly and pulled out a credit card. "Thanks," he said glumly.

"Do you want a doggie bag for that?" She glared dubiously at the large array of plates.

"Nah."

///

_H'mmmm...what do I want to watch tonight? Star Trek, Star Trek...or possibly Star Trek?_ Shaine sifted through her collection of DVDs, finally coming up with one that brought a smile to her face.

_Yeah. Been way too long since the last time I saw domyn Shanin lay the smack down on Admiral Jellico. ...Aw, hell, why not just watch the whole season while I'm at it?_ Fortunately the stack of Mariner DVDs was one of the few organized things in her room, and she soon had all of the necessary disks in a separate pile.

_Now for the appropriate viewing medium...hope like hell Harris isn't in there again, or I might have to take him up on that offer to borrow his DE... _She grabbed a few New Frontier episodes to sweeten the deal; if she had to fight him for the big screen she'd better make it worth it.

///

"_Ka maya maya!_"

_What the...?_ Shaine walked into the rec room and found Rai standing on the couch. "Uh...?"

Rai jerked back and fell off of the couch.

"Sorry...sorry...I'll come back later..."

"No, wait! It's all right. I'm done." He smiled sheepishly and turned off the TV. "I used to be able to do it when I was a kid..."

Shaine clutched the stack of DVDs to her chest and smiled encouragingly. "Oh...okay..."

"What, me? Yeah, I've had a worse crash in a Wing than this, Scully..." He peered at the DVDs. "Whatcha got?"

"Trek..." _Oh, shit, another lone nut with a fixation on a classic TV series..._

"Trek? What series?"

"Mariner, mostly, and a few New Frontier in case that's not enough."

"First, second, third, or fourth?"

"First."

"Cool! Never seen the first, myself... Dragonball Z was on at the time."

"Really! Must've been a big surprise for you to see Lore and Katya together, then..."

"Um, yeah, never understood that...and 'true fans' would never tell me what was going on. Like it was some sort of in-joke."

"Yeah...it kinda goes back farther than that. ...Wanna watch some with me?"

"Sure. How much farther, if you don't mind doing the play-by-play?"

_All right...start at the beginning, and when you come to the end, stop..._ "You know she was working with Soong for a while, right? Third person in that three-person shuttle Juliana told Data about?"

"Um no...I didn't..." A revelatory glow lit up his face.

"She was the first thing Lore saw when he woke up for the first time."

"_Really?_"

"That part was in one of the movies...first one they did with Boomers."

"Oh yeahhhhh! That one was just a waste of time..."

"Aw, man, how can you say that? I loved it!"

"They had seven of 'em go rogue in production - and at the time Crim and Rika were on their honeymoon..."

"Ohhhh!" Shaine was stunned. "Yeah, that was way before MetaPara hired me..."

"_You worked for MetaPara?_"

"Guess I'll never watch that one the same way again."

"Heh yeah...in the one flashback scene you can see Jinks's hardsuit, sort of."

"You're kidding!"

"But she's in with a bunch of Borg. And I stuck in a cameo too," he said proudly. "Third Ensign Redshirt to die."

"_Man_..."

"I don't think it was cut out either. That's the biz...see the world, save it, sometimes have some fun... Crim was really ticked he missed out on it."

"Well...the last thing I did for them was a huge fight scene between Shanin and a Formorii...I think it was for the season five cliffhanger."

"Oh, yeah, I know that one!"

"Damn it! They showed that one _already?_"

"We were hoping a rogue would happen-- Naw, we um...well you see it was an off week..."

"Huh?"

"We kind of...tap in. And watch it there."

"Man..." Her face lit up. "I would _love_ that..."

"Really?"

"No shit! I've been trying to hack into the exec producer's files for years to get advance notice on plots...keeps the stuff offline, godsdamnit, she's too smart..."

"Well, if you promise not to tell the boss..."

"Swear to Dani, man."

"...I'll let you into the core. But you can only hack Para when we watchdog them for rogues."

"Nh..." She suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"You got to promise."

Shaine shook her head. "Fine."

"The core is Level One, only for Ravens business. Crim would kill me - unless we get Bell to go along."

"No!"

"I mean he'd ground her, but let us off..."

"No thank you. I've seen enough of her lately, thank you very much!"

"Really? Why?"

"I don't want to talk about that."

Rai shrugged. "Cool." He leaned over to grab something from the couch, giving Shaine her first glimpse of the raven tattoo on his shoulder. _Hmmm...looks like we've got something else in common! _She grinned.

"What?" He looked up at her curiously as she made her way toward the couch.

"Nothing..."

"Want some popcorn?"

"Nah."

"So how long have you been a Trekker?"

Shaine shook her head. "Since I was born, I think! Grandparents watched TNG religiously...Dad was into New Frontier, and Mom liked Ghidorah..."

"Wow."

"Yeah." She smiled again.

"I remember Ghidorah...they always had the best effects. And the fighters! Man, all I wanted to do was fly because of that."

"Yeah...I went back and watched every single episode after Mariner started, 'cause of Shanin Betandi being in both. Though she's hardly the same woman on Ghidorah!"

"Was it the same actress in both?"

"No, Mariner's Shanin is a Boomer. The old one's a human. Easier to do technically, but I've got to admit I liked the human better."

"Man, I'm glad they kept Shatterclaw CGI."

"_Yeah._"

"I'd hate to think what a Boomer his size would be like. And with those fangs!" Shaine laughed. "Plus he's gotten older - more grey in the silver fur...can't really do that with a Boomer, never looks quite right."

"I think they're going to go mostly CGI with the next series, actually."

"Mostly CGI?" Rai looked disappointed.

"Yeah."

"Thought they were going to try a new crew of human actors. The whole retro thing and all that."

"Really? I heard it was something to do with time travel and some of the original actors were dead."

"Time travel? Aw, man...not Kirk again!"

"No, don't think so...something happens in the future of the Mariner storyline, and the crew's children are sent back in time. I think."

"No way!"

"Yeah. Shanin dies, either Lore or Data dies...Caden lives though..." Her voice lowered bitterly. "_Fuck_, I hate Caden..."

"Okay, after this we hack into their database and make sure they got it right. --Caden lives?"

"Yeah."

"Oh maaan...there goes the next movie..."

"You hate him too?"

"Well, hate is a strong word. I just always use him as a villain in flight training."

"I was a regular poster to alt.caden.die.die.die before I got here."

"No way! Wingman360."

"ShayBetandi. I love the name." She grinned.

Rai slapped his forehead. "You're kidding me." Then he blushed a deep red.

"What?"

"Oh...well... I kind of hit on you once."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Sent you some sappy love note. I-- I'm sorry..."

"Oh, now I remember!" Her grin widened. "You pervert!"

He looked horror-struck. "You do remember," he said weakly. "You know, I just remembered Crim has a suicide mission waiting for me..."

"Yes...and I'll let you nibble my eartips anytime, even if you are outkin!"

"Really..."

"Yeah."

He leaned in toward her, their lips almost touching, as the door slid open and Belladonna walked into the room. "Whoah!"

"Oh, _man!_" Shaine pulled back quickly. "What in hell do you think you're doing?"

"I can't go _anywhere_ in this base without running into lovebirds!"

"No," she revised her question, "I don't even want to know. Just do me one favor..._do not_ tell anyone of this...or I convince Harris to use you for target practice. Is that clear, Little Miss Blabbermouth?"

Rai glanced at Shaine, then at Bell. "Or I might remember who got a D- on her last test and tell dear old Mom..."

Belladonna was shocked. "Um...I didn't see a thing...I'm not even here!"

"Good," Shaine replied.

"_Great._ Now get out."

Bell ran from the room; Rai jumped over the couch and locked the door, then walked back.

"Damn her..."

"She's a kid. A stinking, no-good, rotten kid..."

"Yeah."

"...With a new boyfriend." Rai scowled.

"Huh?"

"He's in a band. And her mother doesn't want her dating..."

"Oh great...I can't wait to have his music inflicted upon me."

"Well, they chose the right name: String Ravens."

"Weirrrd..."

"No, Miss Thing hangs with a bunch of kids who have a hangup for all things Raven. Some nutcases who think we're real. And she feeds them false info."

"There wouldn't happen to be two named Omar and Deis," Shaine said softly, "Would there?"

"I think so. Why?"

"I think I know them. And Poet and Mav...does Crim know she knows them?"

"Not as far as I can tell."

"Aw, shit..."

"She won't tell anyone but me--what? What's wrong?"

"He's got me leading them on, to find out more about them...I don't think they're dangerous, but they're young and stupid and I can't keep this up forever without telling him."

"Dear Mother of Ravens..." Rai's face lit up. "Oh, this is too good! I've got her now!" He jumped up and began doing an oddly birdlike victory dance.

"Just tonight they showed me their hideaway...had some sort of a sword in a stone they're convinced is ours."

He stopped suddenly. "Hideaway?"

"Yeah...down by where we found Harris."

"If I show you a map, can you point it out?"

"Yeah."

"Come on."

Rai led her to the Core. "It's the base's master computer," he explained. 

_Aw, fuck...skin sample, retinal scan, and numeric code just to _get in?_ What kind of system have they got?_

"Welcome to the Core. This here is the most advanced computer there ever was." He glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Or will be. Makes anything in Star Trek look like a laptop."

"So we've got Shay...Raven the computer...where's Data when you need him?"

"Don't ask. Just do _not_ ask what passes for Data around here."

_Sure._ She leaned over the control interface, mustering up her best Ambassador Betandi impersonation and saying, "Hello Raven..."

"Greetings, Freefall: Kohl, Shaine." The voice was sleekly androgynous, not like that of Mariner's main computer, but it had the exact same tone and inflection.

"Aw, _shit!_ It talks back!"

"Uh, yeah...and more than that."

Shaine's eyes went wide and she shook her head.

"Raven, map the Chicago trench." A 3d holographic map rendered above Raven's console. "Do you know what end it was at?"

"Yeah." She pointed to a spot on the map. "Right there."

"Enlarge."

The new image was accurate down to the garbage. "That's it."

"Raven, what battles have we fought there?"

A list of seventeen battles popped up in front of the map. One was marked "Harris;" the rest "RE."

"RE?"

"Red Equinox. Oh, shit... They were a band, more Boomer than human...they gave us the name Steel Ravens."

"I know."

"Raven, tap comsat, and see if you can find a 'sword in a stone.' "

The map image scrambled, then reassembled itself into the rock pile Omar had shown to Shaine."

"Yeah, it's right under those rocks. They said they thought we left it as a test."

"It was a test...a test of leadership. One the other guy failed - and Crimson became king. That's Darien's sword. Raven, pull up file 0021."

A man's face appeared next to the map. "Raven Psycho, this file is monitored. Crimson will be notified."

"Cool, Raven. Tell him I'll meet him in his office. ...See, this guy here was a Lieutenant in the Army with Crimson. Then they both went to the ADP, which is where we all met up. About that time, the General was looking for men for what would become the Steel Ravens."

"The General?"

"Yeah. He was...retired. From the Army."

"Okaayy..."

"His cover was so deep that no one knew his real name. Even Raven won't tell us...Crimson and Darien were the only two who seemed to know. Anyway, Darien went bad, tried to kill us... Crimson challenged him to a duel.

"Darien's sword was rigged. Crimson never would have had a chance, except we got wind of it and made one like it for him. They fought, Darien's sword overloaded, and Crim put his own sword through Darien's hand. That's Crimson's sword down there.

"There was an explosion, and we thought Darien died but he came back a few more times before we actually finished him off. So yeah, it is a test - just not the kind they think it is."

Rai shook his head. "Man...I thought that thing was destroyed! Raven, log site. All known activities there for the last five years."

It came up blank. "Last seven years." Still nothing. "Last battle there? ...Hmmm. Guess our luck has changed. Some sites just aren't Raven-friendly.

"Er, anyway..."

Shaine looked up at him.

"Um... We should tell Crim."

"Yeah."

"But after that, want to go out and get some food? Somewhere away from work. And the kid."

She smiled. "All right."

"Great!"

///

Shaine noted that Crim's office seemed darker than normal, but it had to be her mind playing tricks on her. Rai seemed completely calm as he walked in and sat down; she had no choice but to follow suit.

Crimson looked up from a computer printout. "What's up?"

"Well, we've found Excalibur, my good King, and a group of young squires..."

"Excalibur? It was destroyed when--" He looked at Shaine. "Where did you find it?"

"Those kids we met at the mall. They found it."

"_What?_"

"They showed it to me earlier today, just before we picked up Kit and Priss. I met them to get that damned t-shirt..." She shook her head. "Apparently they like me."

"You got a t-shirt?"

"Oh, and one for you too, Crimson. It seems they also have fond remembrances of their new friend 'Han Solo.' "

"A group of kids found Excalibur, when we - with the most advanced computer tracking systems - could not..."

"It's not fair," Rai moaned. "I never get a t-shirt. And what's this about Han Solo?"

Crimson cringed.

"Don't ask."

"So does that mean I'm Luke? Or Chewie?"

Shaine grinned. "Dunno."

"Chewie's the only Hispanic in space," Crimson pointed out.

"All right." Rai held his arms out and growled like a Wookiee, forcing Shaine to choke back laughter. Crimson was less restrained, and openly laughed out loud.

"Okay, so the sword is still in one piece...and the kiddies think we're what, Arthur and the Round Table?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So we let them believe that. Get someone down there and bring me back my sword."

"Well...there is one more small part to it, Boss..."

Shaine cringed. _Let him tell it. I _so_ do not want to get in the middle of this..._

"Small part? We blow up the Sears Tower again?"

"Er, no. The kids...they go to school with Bell..." Crimson nodded. "And she's been feeding them fake Raven stories to cover our rears."

Crimson's face went blank.

"I've been making sure she doesn't give them anything that would ever point back to us or--" The phone rang. Crimson held up a finger, and Rai stopped. 

"Um-hm, yes...yes, I understand." He hung up. "Shaine, call Ratboy. He says you owe him a hundred and fifty bucks."

"What?"

"He's been calling the Starbright phone lines for an hour."

Shaine swore under her breath and pulled out a cell phone.

"You get a t-shirt, she gets a cell phone..._I_ get a lonely night..."

"Shut up!" Shaine hissed.

"Hello?" Val's voice was still bleary; apparently he'd taken up sleep as a profession. Or at least a very fervently practiced hobby.

"Smith, what is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me?_"

"Yeah."

"What the fuck? Where have you been? I've been calling all over for you."

"Elsewhere." She let the tone of her voice turn dark. "With Crimson."

"What the-- You're screwing _him_, too? And robbing cradles on top of it..."

"Robbing cradles? What the fuck?"

Rai looked at her and Crimson curiously.

"Yeah, those damned kids you sent to rob me."

"_What?_"

"Stuck me with a $250 bill... We went to go eat, talk over them bird-things."

"Oh, gods! You are pathetic... Listen to me, Ratboy. If you ever want to think about seeing me again, just shut up _now_ and cut your losses. All right?"

"What?"

"You heard me. I have no idea what those kids did to you but I don't believe you."

"Fucking hell! I don't need this."

"And I am not going to pay for you to sit on your ass all day and watch television." Val swore fervently. "Ain't no such thing as a free lunch, Smith."

Shaine hung up. "Asshole."

Rai looked at the two of them again. "Cradles? Um, is there something I should know...?"

"Shut up, Rai. What's going on?"

"He says those kids took him out to talk about his Birdman experience, then left him with a bill for two hundred and fifty bucks. Which he blames upon me, because I was stupid enough to mention him to them."

"Val's Birdmen..." Crimson laughed.

Rai looked at her again, a helpless expression on his face. "Don't go there, man. It's a long story."

"Um, Boss... It's not that, but who in their right mind would show _us_ to someone like him?"

Crimson looked at them. "That would have been me. I wanted to teach the Ratboy a lesson he'd never forget. He trashed Shaine's apartment, made a total mess of it..."

"...As is his custom..."

"...And on top of it, was buying booze on a stolen credit card."

"Stolen?"

"Which belonged to dear Shaine. Yes."

"I am going to..." She lapsed into German, but her meaning was abundantly clear.

"Unless you'd give him a card?"

"No. I know what he's like with money. Rat bastard..."

"I had thought of killing him, but..."

"Let her do it." Rai said.

"No. He's not worth it."

"I later found out," Crimson continued, "That it was your Starbright card, so I managed to stop payment on it. So the kids stiffed him?"

"Yeah, guess so."

"I knew I liked them. And they know Bell. And you two have been selling us out...?"

"No, _no, NO!_ It's not like that at _all_; it's bullshit fiction. I swear!"

"What is he talking about?" Shaine glanced at Rai, worried. "Sell him out?"

"Bell's been feeding them stories, Boss...about us... Fantasy. Stuff about how the Ravens are gods - how did _you_ know about it?"

"I saw their web page."

Rai's jaw dropped.

"Raven found it when she overheard the two of you talking about it."

"No shit...he's that powerful?" There was a dumb grin on Shaine's face.

"She...and in some ways, yes."

"She?"

"Um, well... Seven females, three males, almost everything around here has been a 'she'..." Rai shrugged.

"When Raven went online, the person who set her up gave her the personality of a female."

"Must've been one of those purists," Shaine said, disgusted. "Majel Barrett fan or something..."

"I dated one once..."

"Ugh."

"Also," Crimson continued, "Bell submitted a report, but the report file was one of their stories and a link to the site. We ran a crosscheck...

"So, Rai...how long were you planning on keeping this from me?"

"Until I could blackmail her into something."

Shaine didn't entirely manage to hide a smile at that.

"All right...how much do you owe her this time?"

"Me? Nothing. I don't bet with her anymore. She's a brat; I just want to have something on her in case she acts up."

"Regardless...this is a serious issue."

Rai smiled. "We could feed Carter false info this way..."

"No. We do that and these kids will get hurt. Does Bell send it under a false name and account?"

"Yeah, of course."

Crimson drummed his fingers on the desk. "What's your take, Shaine?"

"They seem harmless. A bit naive, even."

"Did they tell you what they think we are?"

"Some sort of legend..." She shook her head. "Native American spirits, avenging angels..."

"A rather impressive list. In your opinion, should we let them be, or keep an eye on them?"

"Keep an eye on them. They don't mean any harm...but that doesn't mean they can't do any."

"Look over their web site when you get the chance. There could be something there that could be harmful."

Shaine nodded.

"I'll handle Bell and the disinformation."

"No, Rai. I'll take care of Bell; you go on and blackmail her."

"Huh?"

"She has a little too much freedom. I think it's time she met her match."

"You're gonna feed her to Jade?"

Crimson glared at him. "Shaine...also when you get the time, get to know Raven."

"All right."

"Was there anything else you two had for me?"

"No, sir."

Rai turned back toward Shaine. "So when do I get a t-shirt?"

"Shaine, get him out of here..."

She shook her head. "Can't I just leave him with you?"

"_I_ had him for ten years. My time is up; you can have him for the next ten."

"Oh, no thank you, sir."

"Then find some other poor sod and pawn him off."

"Yes, _sir!_" She saluted.

"Good soldier!"

"Greeeat...traded like an old t-shirt before its prime... Just take me away..."

"Permission to silence him, sir?"

"We only have two pilots, so whatever you do make sure we can use him later."

"Come on, Rai. I think there's a fattening dessert somewhere with our name on it." She stood.

"Oh, the pain, the _pain!_" Rai stood as well, placing his hands palm to palm and holding them out for her. She slid her own hands between and turned his palms up, Athmari-style, a gesture shared by bloodkin. "I give myself over to you, great Lady..."

"Shall we go?"

"Let's shall." She removed one hand and clasped one of his with the other, then led him out the door.

Crimson just stared after them and shook his head.


	5. Is There a Doctor in the House? (pt. 1)

Is There a Doctor in the House?

Is There a Doctor in the House?  
_By Alex, Harris, Kit, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: R._

-1-

"Well," Branks said, "You're in good health, Kit. Absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be fit for this life of madness."

"So what exactly is this place?"

"That depends on who you ask. If you ask the one called Crimson, you're in Never-Never Land...or if you subscribe to the Matrix theory, you're in a computer-generated dream. Either one would be fitting."

"I guess this is Home Sweet Home?"

"Yes, if you're Batman..." Kit giggled, but stopped short upon hearing a faint stretching sound from the next room. "It's called the Nest; it is--" The sound was followed by a loud crash.

"What was that?"

Branks hesitated. "Nothing. Wait here; I'll be right back." She walked to the door; Kit heard growling, a yell...and then a stream of hushed words. The medbay fell silent.

"What's going on in there?" She heard faint singing...almost like a lullaby. "Weird..." _Is that "Hush, Little Baby?" What is wrong with this place...?_ She fought the urge to get off of the examination table and peek through the doorway.

A moment later, Crimson walked in. "Feeling better today?"

"Yeah...thanks."

"Where's Branks?"

"She went to check out what happened in that room over there..."

A concerned look came over Crimson's face. He walked to the door and peered in, then waved his hand, inviting Kit forward. She went to his side, questions plainly written in her eyes. "Tell me what you see," he whispered.

Peeking inside, Kit saw Branks lying on the floor, the cat-creature from the previous night cradled in her lap. She seemed to be singing to it.

"How long has she been this way?" Crimson waited for a moment, then shook his head. "...Go back to your place on the bed."

Kit nodded and did so.

"Branks! Branks, are you here?" Crimson walked loudly over to Kit.

"What's wrong, chief?" she asked.

He shook his head, holding a finger to his lips. She nodded back.

A moment later, Branks walked back into the room. "Crimson! I didn't hear you come in!"

"So how is our newest Raven?"

"I'm doing okay..."

"She's passed all of the tests and is ready for active duty."

"Right, so I can take her now?"

"Another patient ripped from my tender care," Branks mourned. "Go, take her..."

Kit smiled. "Thanks, Doc."

"Let's go. Time for paperwork." He ushered her out of medbay, then said, "There's a big gun show today; Saki and I will be buying the group's weapons for the year. Want to tag along? Shaine's going too."

"Hm...should be fun," Kit said dubiously.

Shaine stole up behind them. "Yeah, I'll say! Weapons of mass destruction..."

Kit smiled. "Don't seem to have any projects on hand...I'm in."

///

Alex Worth smiled slightly as he entered the hotel. _I'll have to remember to thank Mr. Luna later._ The top five floors of the building had been transformed into a somewhat less-than-legal armaments show: a virtual playground, in fact. A young, well-dressed woman checked the badge he'd gotten from Luna, then smiled and handed him a gold card. "For bidding in tonight's auction."

"Oh, thank you...when does it start?"

"It begins at 9:25 tonight, the final event of the evening."

"What are the main items up for auction?"

"A sword from the Ming Dynasty, a matched set of Army revolvers, and vintage World War II weapons...some Civil War and Roman pieces..."

"Any modern items? I like the cutting edge of technology."

She nodded. "But they are for more private collectors, and handled with discretion."

"I am a very private collector."

"As I can see, sir...here's a listing."

Hmmm. Ten combat Boomers, a prototype EMP gun... "Any powered suits?"

"One, but it's a Gulf and Bradley. Rumor has it it was stolen."

"What is the suit called?"

"No name as of yet, but its number is K-234-E. Also there are twenty Gerlitch rifles, stomach rail guns mach II and III..."

"What vehicles?"

"GD45 Battlemover. Smaller than the GD42. Seats one, but can hold two... D4 "Wildcat" Battlemover, one-person answer to a K-11... Lunar patrol cars with Earth upgrade, capable of hovering over city streets or driving on four wheels, with weapon kit. B-7 Phoenix minichoppers - those are the replacement for the "firebee" - and a K-11 suit with demo."

He smiled. "Thank you." _Damn...only a few new weapons..._

The first four rooms Alex saw were small handguns. He passed them by in favor of the larger caliber offerings down the hall, foremost among which was a new type of clip-on grenade. Next to that was a new type of anti-Boomer shell...$75 per round. He bought one and kept moving.

Ignoring a table with prop swords from the movies, he stopped at the Smith and Wesson table to admire their answer to the Desert Eagle: the Colt 2050. _Holds ten, caseless...hm._ "How much?"

"$799.99. Not officially released until next year."

"I'll keep it in mind." The man at the table thanked him and gave him a business card.

Alex kept moving until he found the Desert Eagle display. In front of it were a Hispanic man in a leather coat and an attractive but tall redhead in a business suit, arguing the weapon's high rate of fire jamming with the man behind the table. He moved closer. _Full auto...what caliber?_

_Holy shit! That's almost a twelve gauge! Jesus..._

"So it's not going to jam at over five?" the man frowned.

"No, sir, I assure you...it won't."

"What do you think?"

The woman nodded. "I believe it will do."

"How many? Twenty, or thirty?"

"With the way you go through them...I'd say thirty-five."

Crimson hefted the gun in one hand. "You're probably right." Alex managed a weak smile.

"Didn't want to have to do retooling," Saki said.

"But I've found that smaller caliber weapons actually work better at higher cyclic rates," Alex commented.

Crimson nodded, spinning the gun on one finger idly.

"Take the 9mm, for instance..." Both looked at him.

"Go on..."

"It operates in an automatic with almost 100% no jams at 1200rpm, as opposed to the conventional 650rpm which has about a 30% chance of jamming.."

"True," Crimson said. Alex nodded and smiled.

"You'll have to forgive him; he's in love with this type of weapon," Saki explained.

"Not everyone can be a knife killer."

"Ah, but you must admit that to kill someone with a knife, you have to have more skill than with a gun," Alex said.

Crimson turned to the dealer. "We'll take the whole lot, and the ammo. Have it sent to our room."

Then he turned back to Alex. "True. But sometimes a knife just won't do."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Whoa..."

"What line of work are you in?"

"I'm currently an emergency medical response specialist...but I used to be a SEAL."

Crimson raised an eyebrow. "Where were you posted?"

"I was with team six, out of Norfolk. We deployed worldwide."

"Yeah, Marines unit 28," Crimson replied. "Nice to see you guys can dry up pretty well."

"Oh? Did you go to Panama?"

"Among others."

"I see. Who was your CO?"

"Chaplain. At the time he was a Major...now I hear he's a two-star."

"Oh, yeah...I think I met him once. Near Greece."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Crimson said sincerely.

"It's ok...but why are you sorry?"

"When I knew the man, he was one of the worst pain in the rear tightwads..."

Alex laughed. "Like most CO's...must be a requirement for the job."

"You know, I think it is."

"So that's where you learned it from!" Crimson glanced sharply at Saki.

"By the way..." He extended his hand. "Alex Worth. ...And you are?"

"James Velendez. This is my sister, Jenny."

"Oh," After shaking Crimson's hand he took Saki's tenderly and kissed it. "Nice to meet you, Jenny."

"Thank you," Saki replied, somewhat coldly. "It is an honor to meet you."

"The honor is all mine, m'lady."

"So...how does one go from a SEAL to a lifesaver?"

"Easily. I made a choice to help people, and now I'm doing that in the civilian sector as well." Saki smiled at this, and he smiled back. 

"You must see a lot of...action."

"About the same as I did when I was with the teams."

"So you're kept rather busy then...what a pity."

"I have my free time...enough for pretty women like you..." _Damn, she's well built...and so tall...but if they're brother and sister, I'm Michael Jackson! Wonder where he finds women like her..._

"Well, then, I must make sure that time is well spent. Are you free for dinner tonight?"

"Of course. ...I can always make it to dinner with a woman as beautiful as you."

"Um, 'sis,' I hate to remind you but you have that appointment tonight..."

Saki looked at Crimson darkly. "I have time...for a gentleman."

Alex bowed and Saki curtsied back. Crimson shook his head. _Hope she remembers we have Kit and Shaine in tow._

"Appointment?" Alex asked. "Maybe I could accompany you to it. As your escort?"

"No," Saki pouted. "It is private business, unfortunately, and I'm afraid it would bore you."

"He would have to get in line..." Crimson muttered to himself, at which Saki glared at him disapprovingly.

"Maybe not. But with you, nothing could ever be 'boring'."

"You are too kind."

He shot a glance at Crimson, who seemed to still be talking to himself. "You are most welcome, m'lady."

Looking up, Crimson just shook his head.

"I am afraid I would have to decline your invitation nevertheless. But we can still do dinner," she said, her tone still playful.

Alex checked his beeper, then turned it off. "Whatever you wish. It would be my pleasure." 

"I would be delighted." 

"Where may I pick you up, and when?"

"we will be here until 4:00pm. If you could meet us downstairs at the bar? Or, if you wish, you can accompany us for the rest of the show.."

///

After looking around for a while, all Shaine and Kit could see was new ways of killing people. Growing bored, they returned to the handguns and saw Crimson, Saki, and another man standing in front of the "handcannon" booth engaged in what seemed to be pleasant yet meaningless conversation. Shaine's careful ears picked out a dinner invitation... _Shit, does Saki think she has a monopoly on all of the men here?_

"Think we should interrupt their male bonding, Shaine?" Katherine smiled.

Shaine nodded. 

"It would be my pleasure, m'lady."

"Then it is a date," Saki replied.

"Indeed it is."

Shaine raised an eyebrow and just looked at him... _So who is this guy?_

Crim nodded as they walked up to the group, a slim smile upon his face. Both Katherine and Shaine smiled back.

Even Alex had a smile on. "Looks like we have company." _What's this, the rest of the "family?"_

"Hiyas!" Kit waved.

"These are two of our interns. Thought they could use this for one of their classes." Crimson announced. 

"Ah, I see. What is their area of study?"

"Computers, and targeting and engineering."

"Mmm, nice to meet you." 

Shaine nodded and smiled. "Yes, a little bit out of place here... Nice to meet you, too." 

"Likewise." Katherine added.

Alex offered his hand to both Shaine and Katherine; his handshake was firm yet gentle. Saki bristled, seemingly growing colder.

"I have invited Alex," she interjected, "To join us for this afternoon." There seemed to be a thinly veiled threat weaved into the words. "Any objections, ladies?" _Fight me in this, and die,_ Saki projected mentally.

"Of _course_ not." Shaine's smile turned radiant.

"Good." Finally, she smiled.

"Hello. I am Alex Worth, an emergency medical specialist...and gun lover."

Katherine shook her head, bringing a quick glance from Saki.

"Liesel Baumeister." Shaine offered.

"Hmmn?" Katherine murmured in mild surprise. Shaine glanced at her as if to say, _just play along._ Kit nodded knowingly.

Crim tug on Katherine's sleeve. "Kate, come here and tell me what you think of the new laser sights."

"Sure."

He holds out his hand for her and led her away. "Fake names only; we don't know who is who here," he whispered. Taking her to a table, he held up a laser sight.

"Gotcha." Katherine said, trying to look at the thing in Crimson's hand as if she had any opinion on it.

_Ah, good. He took the new one away._ "Alex, what do you think of the new katanas?"

"Very nice. I am thinking of adding one or two to my collection... "

Seeing as she had been left to her own devices, Shaine glanced over toward the table opposite the Desert Eagles. Far too heavy for someone her size - but that had been the case all day.

"But I will have to check the price tag first," Alex continued.

Katherine walked over to Shaine, giving the large guns the once-over. "Not too shabby."

They felt Crimson walk up behind them. "Yeah, micro shotguns. About two feet long, heavy stock, but not enough power."

_Way too heavy then...heh..._ "Hm. Looks like I need something in the little girls' size."

"Alex, you know, I have an idea. Why dont we...skip the last part of the show, and go out to lunch?"

Alex was a bit surprised by Saki's forwardness. "Are you sure? What about the auction?"

"There's that, but I can set up a proxy bidder. Each person here has a profile, predictability...my proxy can drive the prices up on the items they most desire, and leave them with too little money to oppose my own bids when it comes to what _I_ want."

"I'll have to do the same," Alex said.

"Give me a second, and I will set everything up."

"Of course." Alex was left wondering as she flipped out her cell phone and turned away from the group.

Crimson walks back over. "Let me guess: you're being kidnapped to lunch?"

"It appears that way...not that I object!"

Shaine appeared to be a bit amused at that, but said nothing.

"Good man."

Alex just nodded.

"Mind if i ask you a personal question?"

Kit said nothing as she moved closer to hear, continuing to study the table opposite.

"Me? Sure, go ahead."

Shaine had seen that look before. _I am Deer and you are a big black bird like magic,_ once again Crimson had sized up his prey, and was trying to fit it into a hardsuit... She choked back laughter as the mental images became a bit too powerful.

"Yes. What pay scale do you get as a paramedic?"

"Well, I don't do it for the money. My parents were rich; I have a huge inheritance to blow." He shrugged, smiling crookedly.

"Ah, the thrill then? Or concern for human life?"

"Life...yes, I just like to help people." 

"Well, not all of us can help people the way we like," Crimson said.

"Yes, I know the feeling... Sometimes it's out of our hands, though, no matter how hard we try."

Saki walked back over toward the group. "Or sometimes we must find new ways to do so," she added. 

She stood a little too close to Alex. He was, handsome, and fit, and seeing as she and Harris were...or more to the point never were... _Perhaps._

"All set?" Alex asked, breaking her line of thought.

"Yes, it's all set; I took the liberty of expanding the biddings, a bit. If you don't like them I'll cover it for you."

Alex raised an eyebrow at the overly generous offer. There was a hint of a smile on Kit's face as she continued to study the "toys" in front of her.

"New ways?" Alex asked.

"Of course. Boomers, for example, have the potential to save countless human lives."

"In fire or police work." Sarcasm was heavy in Crimson's voice. 

"Yes...but Boomers also go rogue and injure or kill other humans."

"Or do they? Those are just rumors." Saki said, playing off of Crimson's sarcasm.

"I have been to more Boomer 'accidents' than I care to count," Alex interjected, his voice rising a bit.

"They have been downplayed in the news."

"I believe it...I've seen what they can do. Makes me sick. The ADP and the government may try to tell us some story...but I've seen it; I _know_ what they can do."

"That may be so. It is a shame how such a helpful tool can be tuned against its masters." She gave a knowling look to Alex, but the message was directed to Crimson and all of them knew it.

"Yes, but every human invention has had it drawbacks," Alex said.

Crimson nodded politely, then called for the girls. They gave each other a knowing look and returned to the group.

"Sis is going to be paying for lunch. Any one have suggestions as to where to eat?"

"I could go for some tacos myself." Kit smiled.

"I like Italian, but whatever you all like will be fine for me." Alex said.

"Well, either sounds fine...seeing as this city doesn't have a decent German restaurant."

"Sure, it does, Zum duchenache or some thing like that..."

Shaine stared at Crimson as if he were crazy. Kit laughed, Saki cringed.

"It's German...believe me." _Or at least the Boomers are... _"So have we decided?" 

"How about Angel's?" Saki said. "They have almost everything.

"Sounds good to me." 

"Cool."

Alex looked at Saki. "Looks like we have chaperones," he said with a grin.

-2-

_A gun show. All right... _Harris had taken his leave of the informant immediately after finding out about the intended hit. Their meeting place, a dive in old Chinatown, wasn't exactly his style, and Harry Woo wasn't his favorite person on Earth. To put it mildly. 

At the show he managed to overhear a few words about the plan - the victim was named Worth - but not see the person speaking. And no other names were given, save for the fact that Worth was associated with Luna. Frowning, Harris moved on.

Woo had said that the hit man would be disguised as a waiter, but Harris didn't notice anyone fitting that description who seemed out of place. He did see Crimson and Saki. Harris started walking toward them...there was another man approaching them.

Before he got within earshot, he heard a gun hammer pull back. Turning instinctively in the direction of the sound, he scanned the crowd. The gunman was a lanky Asian in a white uniform holding a handcannon covered by a towel, and he seemed to be aiming at the group.

Pulling out a Desert Eagle, Harris aimed for the man's gun hand, firing one round, and then fired again at the man's head. The gunman fell, but at the same time someone across the room took a potshot at Harris and hit him in the left side. 

Harris turned, wincing, and fired three shots at the second man's face and gut. _Shit...can't tell if the bullet went clear through or not..._

Two other men in white pushed past the rest of the crowd, headed for the stairs. Harris aimed for their ankles and knees, missing the targets but nailing another passerby. The two reached the stairs and Harris began shoving others aside, running toward the stairs. He dropped the empty clip, holding his side with one hand, and reached for another one.

He reached the ground level only a few heartbeats behind the other men and followed them into the parking garage. Harris opened fire, not particularly caring where he hit them. One took it in the back and fell forward. The other was hit in the shoulder but kept going after grabbing the wall to keep from falling.

Harris kept firing until the second man fell. Then he walked up to the body and fired another shot into his shoulderblades and one into his head. Blood and grey matter splashed out onto the asphalt. Then he searched the body.

A thousand yen, a letter, a set of keys. He took it all and moved on to the second body. Two clips for a 9mm, the said 9mm - a Beretta - a dagger, a small rock with an animal painted on it... The only thing of value was a 24kt gold ring. It held a fake eye with a line running out from it. The man had the same mark on his neck as a tattoo. Harris made a mental note of it and returned to the main room.

When he got there, Saki, Crim, and the other man were gone. The one he shot first was still there, with a few others around him trying to wrap him in a sheet. He walked up to the body, gun in hand and still holding his side.

A large bull of a man put his hand out and stood in front of Harris. "Sir, I have to ask you to leave now."

Harris pointed his DE at the man's head. "You can either step aside or we can see how far your head can fly across this room. Either way, I'm getting past."

The man - huge, at about 6'2" and 400 lbs - was unimpressed. Harris fired, grazing the side of his head. There was a streak of red as the man's ear separated from his body, hanging by a flap of skin. 

The other two dropped the body.

Harris stepped past the one he'd shot and aimed for the pair who had been carrying the body. "Hey, we were just getting it out of the way. Follow us and you can have him." 

"No, I just want to search him."

"Yeah, well, you can do that. Just not out here. We do have an image to maintain."

Harris aimed for the man's head, just between the eyes.

"If that's all right with you, sir?"

"Jesus fucking Christ. No one ever fucking listens to me... I told you I am going to fucking search him out here." He fired at the ceiling. "I have been having a _really_ bad day and you assholes are making it worse. I am asking you only once and after that I will _make_ you step aside."

They looked at each other and wisely decided to walk away. In fact, the whole room emptied out rather quickly, leaving him alone with the body. Harris set his DE down and began searching.

There was a ring like the other one, a letter, and a picture of a man in Navy uniform. There was also 3,000 yen. Harris took it all, got up, dropped the clip out of his DE and popped another in. Then he put his SOCOM away and pulled his coat across his side to hide the wound. Slipping his DE into his pocket, he made his way outside.

On the way out, he saw the new 10mm DE. Eyeing the display appreciatively, he picked one up and loaded it. The clips from the bodies fit; he holstered it and put it away.

There were a few people by the doors, but they didn't say anything or try to stop him. Feeling a bit dizzy, he headed straight for the Nest.

///

Branks was sitting in the medbay drinking coffee when Harris arrived. He walked up to her casually. "I appear to be bleeding. A little help?"

Her eyes narrowed as she got a look at the wound. "I can see that. I was wondering if it was self-inflicted."

"Yeah. Missed. It's not that bad, though."

"I assume you can make it to my lab, Superman?"

"Yeah, I think I can do that."

She pouted and followed him. "And I see by your words that you are a doctor as well. Let me be the judge of how bad it is."

"I'm a man of many trades. I've had to play doctor more than once and I'm still standing here, still breathing...hasn't killed me yet. Ain't that bad."

"I see." She helped him up onto a table and pulled over a tray of tools.

"Where's our fearless leader? Apparently he wasn't too much help...what happened to him?"

"I'm not sure," Branks said. "The shirt's a goner. I'm going to cut it away."

"Figures," Harris snorted. _With him in charge, I have no idea how we've survived this long..._

She prodded the area, then picked up what looked like an elongated pair of tweezers. "It's in deep." But she managed to pull the bullet out. "So do you do this often?"

"Nah, just when I'm feeling bored."

"Ah, well, you need to find yourself a hobby."

"I've got my hobby." Harris shrugged. "Only thing is, he won't stand still long enough for me to shoot his worthless pig ass."

"From the looks of it, the damage is repairable-- Really? Ever try glueing his feet to the floor?"

"No, I haven't. Good idea, though. Thank you."

"I'm sure I'll regret it later..."

"Probably."

"Would I be wasting my breath if I told you to take it easy for the next few weeks?"

"Yeah, you would. So don't."

Branks sighed and gazed up at the heavens. "I need padded tables with thick straps... No one around here ever listens to doctor's orders. Would you like painkillers?"

"No. And I don't even listen to Crim, let alone docs. What makes you feel you're any more special than him?"

"Hmmm...I'm better looking, and unlike Crim, I have ways of making you listen."

"True enough." Harris chuckled. "Then again, even Mitch is better looking than Crim."

"Too true. He has a face only a Boomer could love - and mannerisms to match."

"That's gotta be some fucking expensive Boomer programming!"

"Well...now that you mention it I don't think they can be _given_ such complex programming... How he ever manages to rope people into this life is beyond me."

"Sure as hell isn't looks, and it ain't charm..."

"Hm, looks and charm are ruled out...what's left?"

"Leaves an open threat..."

"Is that what got you into this mess?"

"More or less, and the fact that he offered good money."

"Ah, money...a common thread. He paid for my med school. Hold out your arm."

She injected something into it. "Tomorrow I'll need to take some blood so be back here at eight sharp. That is, if you don't want me to prove I have my ways."

Harris shook his head and went out to find Crimson.


	6. Is There a Doctor in the House? (pt. 2)

Untitled Normal Page

Is There a Doctor in the House? (cont'd.)  
_By Alex, Harris, Kit, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: R._

-3-

Crimson's Cuda and Alex's Cobra pulled up side by side, and Alex stepped out of the car. 

"Nice car, I like the Cuda..."

"Yeah, rebuilt her from scrap," Crimson said as he got out, "Took me a few years. But.it was worth it. ...Of couse, the Cobra's not too bad either..."

"Cool. Mine is a hand-me-down." 

Kit took a closer look at the Cuda and whistled appreciatively. "This baby's in prime condition!" _Unlike that other one you brought in..._

"Still going for museum condtion, but prime is the best for driving," Crimson added. 

"Of course, it _has_ been modified: I can go toe to toe with any street racer and leave him in my smoke." Alex said proudly.

"Yeah? Impressive." _But what can it do against the turbofan power of _my_ Cuda...?_

"Cool!" Kit grinned like a little child.

Alex nodded. "Yep. One day, after my boat comes in, I want to drop a turbofan engine in it." 

"That would greatly increase your speed," Kit said, "But you would sacrifice a lot of manuverability."

"Yes, it would. I would also have to add a few things to compensate for that."

Kit nodded.

Alex ran his hand lightly across the hood of his Cobra, wiping off some lint from the waxed finish. Then he offered his arm to Saki and she took it without missing a beat. Alex grinned as she pulled him close and led him off toward the restaurant.

Angel's was large, but with the feel of a small home. There was already a crowd; Crimson asked for a table near the back.

"Nice place. I should become a regular here." Alex said. He lifted the almost phone-book-sized menu with exaggerated effort. Kit giggled.

"I'm sure you will. The food here is some of the best around." Crimson flipped thought the menu.

"I also know my friend would love this place." Alex shot Crimson a glance - and a half-smile.

Crimson raised an eyebrow but refused to take the bait.

" Yes... Yes, I think I will." 

"Lobster sounds good, doesn't it, ladies?" Saki said, playfully eyeing Shaine. Kit let out an _ooh_ of excitement but Shaine's eyebrow jerked up slightly.

"Surf and turf?" Crimson asked, not even bothering to look at the price. Shaine slowly nodded.

Katherine looked at "Liesel." "Allergic to seafood?" she asked.

Alex noticed the exchange of glances, but his expression did not change.

"No, I'm fine." 

Kit nodded.

"Lobster does sound good...but the fettucini alfredo sounds good too," Alex said.

_Veal. Or manicotti._ Crimson pondered. _Wonder if I could get away with a hamburger...?_

A young blond waiter, maybe 19, approached the table and asked for their orders.

"I'll take the lobster," Alex said, then jumped slightly at the touch of a pointed object upon his shin. A moment later, he realized it was Saki's shoe.

"Sounds good," Crimson said, carefully avoiding eye contact with both.

Alex smirked and looked slyly back at Saki as the others continued. I'll have the shrimp platter," Kit said.

"Manicotti, please," Shaine said, surrendering her menu.

"Cheeseburger, medium rare," Crimson stated.

"How about drinks?" The waiter asked.

"Iced tea, no ice."

"I'll have a Coke, please, no ice."

"Mountain Dew."

"Iced tea, ice and lemon." 

"Hot tea, please." Saki smiled and ran her foot down Alex's leg again.

"So...how did you all come to be together?" Alex asked.

"I hired them all," Saki replied smoothly.

"I see," Alex said warily.

"Bodyguards don't work as well as you would think," She waved a hand toward the others. "And they do."

"No? Why not?"

"They're effective enough but you wouldn't believe how many I've lost. Four years running, and these three are still alive."

Crimson nodded absentmindedly, seemingly paying no attention.

"Mmm, what kind of contracts do you get?"

"Many different things. It would be difficult to summarize them all."

Kit's eyes wandered across the room, and suddenly she realized that she and Crimson were looking at the exact same thing.

"Well, what about examples?"

"Preventing assassinations, for one thing." Saki said with her best staight face.

"That sounds pretty rough." Alex grinned.

"It can be, when you don't have the right people."

"Reminds me of when I was in the service..." There was a faraway look in Alex's eye.

"Do tell!"

"I was with the teams...we did stuff all the time. In Greece, once, my demo expert and I were to take out a terrorist leader, or so he claimed."

"What happened?"

"We were under the water planting a limpet mine on the boat's hull, when I noticed a child playing around the aft of the boat. There weren't supposed to be civilians on the boat. So I thought we had the wrong one and motioned for Mike to stop.

"That's when he pulled out his knife and tried to cancel me. He forgot I was an instructor of underwater combat for a while. I ended it quickly, disarmed the bomb, and pulled him up to the boat."

The waiter returned with drinks and the conversation stopped for a moment.

"Who did the boat belong to?" Crimson asked. _Where have I heard this story before... This sounds so familiar._

"I found out later that the boat belonged to a prominant man here in Chicago, and a rival of his ordered the hit. Paid handsomely for it."

Shaine's eyes widened. Katherine gasped. "No way..."

"True story...one of many."

"I see," Crimson said.

Alex nodded and took a sip of the tea.

"Whatever happen to the man you saved?" Crimsoin said, looking over his glass.

Alex opened his mouth, but then another waiter - a short, slight Asian man - arrived with the food. Shaine and Kit looked at him curiously, but both decided not to comment.

"He's a prominent buisnessman here in town. Nice guy...so I hear," Alex continued.

"Really. Anyone I would know?"

"Maybe...does Julian A. Luna ring any bells?" Alex said, fork in hand. Shaine looked up, shocked.

Without missing a beat, Crimson replied, "Yes it does. He's quite the respected man about town." He covered his surprise by taking a bite. _Funny...there's an almond taste to it..._

"Yes, I know."

Crimson eyes narrowed as he looked around again and came up blank. _Damnit. That taste, a new waiter..._

Alex's eyes widened at Crimson's show of discomfort and he waited for the other man to say something. Kit tilted her head thoughtfully.

"I've never had the pleasure of meeting him." As dignified as possible, he spit the food out into his napkin.

"Something wrong?" Alex asked.

"Yes, this is terrible. Can't seem to find the waiter either."

"I think there were two of them..." Shaine trailed off nervously.

"How is everyone else's?" 

"Oh? What does it taste like?" Alex hadn't touched his own food yet.

"Mine's okay," Katherine said.

Shaine shrugged. "Mine seems fine..." _What the fuck is he getting at - does he think it's poisoned or something? _

Alex looked at Shaine and then reached into his pocket, pulling out a small vial full of clear liquid. Kit looked down nervously at her meal.

"Ach, scheiße," Shaine said under her breath. "Don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me..."

Alex took a bit of his food and drops it into the vial. "Yeah, it's a poison tester..." Shaine watched, thin-lipped.

"Excuse me, I'm going to see if i can find him..." _And beat him into telling me why he tried to kill me._

The vial turned a thick green. "_Shit!_" Shaine added her own quiet editorial in German. 

"No one touch this stuff." Alex snapped.

Saki pushed hers away. _Just once, I'd like to have a normal life..._

Alex lept from his chair and followed Crimson. Shaine was a step behind him, her purse slung over her left shoulder and one hand on the gun inside, and Kit not far behind her. Alex shed his jacket, pulling out an HK MP5K and working the action. 

Kit cracked her knuckles. "Nice gun; wish I'd brought one."

"How much do you think it would take? Most of us had started eating..." Shaine said to Crimson.

"Not much," Alex answered, adding, "You need to get an antidote, _now_."

"I know." Crimson said grimly.

He burst into the kitchen. Inside was...Harris. And no sign of the second waiter. "Harris! Over here!" Shaine called. Spotting the group, he began walking toward them. _Who's that guy with them...he looks like the one from the picture! _

The kitchen was a mass of people, most of whom had turned to stare at the intruders. Harris blithely shoved a few out of his way.

At the same time, Alex made his way to the back of the room. Sizing up Harris as they passed each other, he walked quickly to the back door and walked outside. As he turned the corner he saw something hanging out of the dumpster there: a hand. Lifting the lid, he found the body of the first waiter.

///

"I have never been so fucking glad to see you, man!" Shaine gasped. But she noticed that he was walking with a limp. _Aw, fuck...now what has he gotten into...?_

Crimson spoke quietly but swiftly. "We've got trouble. Someone poisoned our food; the only one who didn't eat it was Saki." Then he noticed the bloodstains upon Harris's side. "What happened?"

"Just a scratch; don't worry about it." He pulled out a cell phone. "Yeah...I got the orders - but it looks like someone else got to you first."

"Scratch...right," Shaine grated. "Regular Superman." 

"Oh, and the new guy...what's his name..." Kit said.

"Yes, it seems Alex is the target; they just got us because we were standing next to him," Crimson added with a worried look. _Have to get them back to the base somehow..._

Harris looked at him. "Yeah, well, get them back to Branks. I have an idea of how to find the assailants."

"Harris, Shaine, take charge. We have to get Alex out of here. Where is he?"

"I think he went into the alley."

Crim headed back to the table for Saki, but stopped when he found Kit following him.

"Katherine, field trip's over."

Kit smiled weakly. "Gotcha, chief."

Crimson looked at her and smiled. "Don't call me chief."

"Saki, drive." He tossed her the keys. _Of all the stupid things... _The world began spinning around him.

Harris headed out to the alley, checking his caller ID. Shaine followed close behind.

_312-555-9871._ He dialed the number quickly.

Alex stood there next to the waiter's body, which he'd pulled out of the dumpster. _Two gunshot wounds at close range, high velocity ammo...not dead for more than an hour,_ Harris catalogued.

Harris stepped back as the phone began to ring. "Damnit..."

"What?" A voice exploded.

Harris spoke into the phone, affecting a false voice: "What's going on? I got to the restaurant and all hell is breaking loose. Where are you?"

"Yes, I know...poison in the food; we're trying to shoot him now... Get clear of the area. Someone's already called the police." He hung up.

"Damnit!" Harris repeated. A car engine came to life behind him. Shaine looked up sharply at the sound. There was the rev of an engine and the screech of tires.

"Everyone back inside - _now!_"

Shaine threw herself back through the door, Alex and Kit not far behind. Harris stood his ground, looking for the car, and a blue beater of a van came barreling down the alley toward him with the doors thrown open. He turned toward the sound and fired all five shots as the door opened, the first two making nice holes in the driver side door and the next three hitting the men in the van - who looked rather like the second waiter.

He looked at the gun, noting that it had a fair amount of recoil. Then a shot hit the dumpster and the van barreled down the alley and out into the street.

Dropping the now-empty gun he reached for the other DE in his pocket. "Damn," he muttered.

For a moment he kept pace with the van but then began to fall out of range. He shot at the tire, blowing it out, then fired at another tire. The van went into a roll, hitting the curb and a parked car, the back end skidding out into the street and colliding with an oncoming car. Fuel leaked out onto the pavement. Harris ran across the street toward it, seeing a man crawl out from the driver side door.

Grabbing the man with his free hand, Harris slammed the butt of his gun into his head and dragged him away from the van. Unconscious, the driver didn't put up much of a fight. 

With a slight smirk, Harris turned back toward the van and fired another shot at it. The fuel sparked and burst into flames. Turning away, he started searching the man's pockets.

_A few empty vials...a knife...cell phone, Swiss Army knife, two grenades, five clips for his piece of shit gun...about 250 yen... Looks like somebody needs to get a life._ He shoved it all into his coat pockets and stood, grabbing the man and tossing him over his shoulder. Harris winced as the pain in his side hit home and dropped the insensate body, kicking it once as he composed himself and then slung it over his shoulder again.

It still hurt like a bitch and for such a small man he was a lot of dead weight...Harris managed through sheer willpower to walk back to the restaurant and drop the man at the door with the bodies of his compatriots.

_Now, where are the garbage picker and Hacker Girl?_

No sign of them. Just a few busboys on their break, gawking at him. Wonderful.

"Damnit, why is it every time I go get work done, everyone vanishes?" He shook his head.

"...grave robbing..." he heard one of the busboys mutter. He sighed, not finding anything noteworthy aside from money on the bodies, and aimed his DE at the knot of busboys.

"Have something you wish to say?"

"Mister, don't you think you should let the cops look them over?"

"They'll get their chance."

"Yeah, but you broke the chain of evidence..."

"That's right, put that back..."

_Fucking teenage lawyers..._

Shaine's voice drifted out from the doorway. "Can it, kid, Mulder's doing his magic."

Harris rolled his eyes. "All right, here's the deal: they won't know it 'less you say something, and 'less you wish to end up like them you won't say it...right?"

Shaine pushed her way past them. "Division Six, coming through."

They stared at her, dumbfounded.

"So how's our Mikey doing?" Shaine cooed.

The busboys turned to each other with frightened, puzzled looks. _Good thing I wore black today... _Then they ran inside.

Harris turned to Shaine, who answered him with a raised eyebrow and an expression saying, _what did you expect?_

"Our new friend is back in the kitchen checking the rest of the food and arguing with the head chef," she said.

Harris shook his head again. "Well, let's get going. We got who we need for the moment." She disappeared into the kitchen as he grabbed the unconscious man by his collar, lifting him again. "Damnit, you're a heavy fuck...should've shot you and went for your friend. _Jesus._" 

He could hear sirens and they were moving closer. "Damnit, let's go...I got our ride down at the other end of the alley."

Shaine reappeared with Alex in tow. Tossing the man in the back, Harris climbed into the driver's seat of the truck he'd borrowed from the Nest's motorpool. Alex helped Shaine into the back seat and then got in.

-4-

Jinks grinned knowingly when she saw the unconscious body slung over Harris's shoulder. "Oh, I see you brought us a doggie bag?"

"Yeah...good observation." Harris shook his head and headed for the medbay.

"Do you need any help?" Jinks called after him.

"Not as much help as you need."

///

Branks helped Harris lift the man up onto a bed. "Oh, you brought me a lab rat! How nice."

"He's the one who poisoned Crim."

"Ssh, not so loud, or you'll get him over here..."

"I only hit him once so he should be easy to wake up. Last thing I need is beating him to death."

"Yes, slight concussion..." She peeled back one eyelid and flashed a penlight at his pupil. "Trauma, but nothing major." Branks went to the cabinet and retrieved a few vials and a syringe.

"Tell that to the rest. It's what they get for fucking up my day."

Branks stopped and looked up at him, smiling. "I'll let him know." She injected him with a clear serum and something else, then straightened up again. "He should be awake soon."

"Okay." He brought out his DE's, looking at the new one. " 'Least I got something for my efforts..." He then pocketed the empty one again and aimed the second at the man's head. "Awake soon, you say...heh..."

"Oh, great. Gunboat diplomacy."

Harris stood over the man with a wide grin on his face. "Wakey wakey..."

"What?" The man said in Thai. "Ki, what's going on?"

///

"So what's going on? Where is this?"

"MIB headquarters," Shaine quipped, looking quite ashen. "You'll be wanting to talk to Zed once this is all over with..."

"Zed?" Alex asked. "Who's Zed?"

"Yeah, you know...Fearless Leader? Or AD Skinner; I forget which." A raven flew overhead.

Shaine slid against the wall, murmuring, "The area is secured, Captain..." Alex caught her as she fell.

///

"...No speaka ingles? Well, I have one round to your forehead stating otherwise." Harris smirked, not noticing Alex, who had just arrived with Shaine in his arms.

"I speak English. Now, where am I? What am I doing here?"

"Where you are don't matter. What you are doing here...is you're about to tell us about this poison of yours and the antidote..."

"Antidote? What makes you think there is such a thing?"

"There'd better be. Your life depends on it."

"Go ahead. Shass orra tahraa, pig! I tell you nothing."

"Oh, killing you won't do...you're gonna live..." He moved the gun's barrel down to the man's hand and fired a shot into it. The man screamed in pain.

"The balls would have been better," Branks sighed. "But I can patch that up so that he'll never use it again."

"And that's just the first of your pains. Now then, the antidote?"

"Never. I won't tell you."

Harris sighed and aimed for the other hand. "Now there go both of your girlfriends..."

"Balls," Branks pleaded. "I need them for testing anyway..."

"Quiet, Branks; you'll have his nuts soon enough."

"Antitoxin number seven!"

"Sure, keep me waiting. I do have a collection to maintain..." She headed for the cabinets to get it.

"Why, thank you." Harris smiled at the man. "If it works, the pain shall end."

"Ahhh, good to see he at least keeps it full!" Branks came back with several vials and a handful of syringes.

"Now, then, do we have a name, hmmm?"

"Name, mine, I call myself. Now that you got what you want, how do I get out of here?"

"Not everything I want. Who hired you?"

"The tang; who hired you?"

Harris sighed. "Damnit...do you really want to start hurting again? Stick to answers, not questions."

"Hou Chian. He wants to send Luna a message. He wants Chicago; seems your friend there is Luna's whipping boy."

"How do I contact Hou Chian?"

"Cell phone, mostly."

Harris pulled out the phones he'd taken off of the bodies. "You mean these?"

"Yeah, only way we can. Has it on speed dial; he doesn't trust us."

"So I should be expecting a call soon, shouldn't I," Harris mused. "You may be of more use yet."

"No, I am the last one alive?"

"Yup. As I said, you and your boys have given me a hard day."

"Then I would have to call him and let him know we fail. But I can't call him, as you know. My hands..." He trailed off pleadingly.

"No, not quite. All we need is for you to talk and to set up a meeting for us."

"And then I go free after you fix my hands?"

"I promised you the pain would end, and I won't go back on that."

"Pain ending...that means my life is over. I want my freedom, before all else..."

"So be it. I promise to let you go when you have served your purpose, and I won't hurt you. That make you happy?"

"Almost too happy, but I can live with that."

"Good." Harris held out the phone.

"Hit button 1, and hold it down. What should I tell him?"

"Set up a meeting."

The man spoke into the phone rapidly in Thai. "He ask why and where?"

"Tell him you found out some information after you killed your target...and that it pertains to him and Luna's plans for him..."

The man nodded and repeated that. Then he switched to English and set up the meeting for midnight the following night. "I am done."

"Who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother man? _Shaft!_ Can ya dig it?" Shaine muttered incoherently. "Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? _Shaft!_ Right on. They say this cat Shaft is one bad mutha shut-yo-mouth, but I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft..."

She blinked. _What the fuck...?_

Branks and the Thai man stared at her.

"I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Not bad," Branks said. "I give it a 5, though."

Harris shook his head. "Two..."

"Is this normal?"

"For around here, yes."

"You people are crazy," The man said.

"Indeed." Harris took the phone away. "Now, then, you've served your purpose..."

Branks went to Shaine's bed and helped her sit up. "I suggest not taking up singing as a new line of work."

"Huh?"

"Your rendition of Shaft was...mediocre." She flashed a light pen in Shaine's eyes.

Shaine winced. "No, seriously...what's going on?"

"Food poisoning. I just gave you the antitoxin, and you had a reaction."

"Okaaay...I remember that part..."

"We are now in the process of torturing the man who did this to you."

"Oh. Cool!"

Harris glared at the other man. "Looks like I'd best get you out of here. I promised to let you go - and not to hurt you - so looks like I'll do just that."

"...When you began to sing the theme from Shaft."

"I did _not!_"

"Off key, of course," Branks added unhelpfully.

"I've never even seen that movie."

I could have the monitors do a playback...?"

"...No." Shaine sulked.

Harris looked up from his captive. "Shaine, your singing sucks."

"And the _pitch_..."

"I will have you know I have the voice of a lark!"

"Lark, indeed..."

"One of these days I will prove it to you."

"Lark, maybe," Branks mused. "With a bad thought condition..."

"After I shot the damn thing," Harris put in.

"...And he ran over it a few times, yes." Branks nodded.

Shaine cleared her throat and began coughing. "Damn..."

"Something like that. But then it could be worse: Crimson could be singing."

"Aw, shit."

Shaine shook her head.

"Hey, excuse me? Can I go now?" The man said.

"Well," Shaine continued, "You ought to know, I have my mother's voice--" She held up a hand to cut off any smart remarks and hissed, "And I do _not_ mean after she got it with the knife. But right now...oooh my throat..."

Branks shone the pen light down her throat and nodded. "It's a little raw - which would explain a lot...let me give you something for that."

"Yeah. Jinks, take our helper outside. I'll be there shortly." Harris went off to get his hardsuit.

"By your command." Jinks flagged Hugo down and had him carry the man outside.

"I got a fear of flying on a plane 'cause we never know just how it ends up/Well in my mind..." Shaine cut herself off. "I finally get it back and he's gone...shit..." She stared out at the doorway for a moment, then shook her head. _Like it matters anyway..._

"Should I cower in fear?"

"Branks, knock it off," Crimson ordered. He strode into the room, looking haggard but showing no other ill effects of either poison or antitoxin. "Shaine, your voice is fine." He sank down onto the bed next to hers.

///

"What the fuck? Who are you, Batman?"

Harris grabbed his prisoner by the shoulders, hitting his jump jets. "More like Superman."

The man screamed in fear. Rising to about 2000 feet, Harris held his position over the base and aimed for the pavement. "I promised to let you go and not to hurt...and I shall keep that promise."

"No, no, kill me, please don't let me go--"

Harris did.

The screams only lasted for a little while, and then all that was left was a nice spatter on the road below. 

"I'll go get the brooms," Hugo sighed.

///

When Harris got back to medbay, Crimson was sitting on the edge of Shaine's bed. He looked like shit. Harris told him so. "So do you. Nice bloodstains."

"...and she was singing--"

"Yes, the theme from Shaft. You can shut up about it now."

"Aww, that's just a scratch." He winced in pain. "I'll get over it."

"Another member of the walking wounded club." Branks rolled her eyes. "I swear I need to lock the lot of you up each time I tend to your wounds..."

"Not my fault," Shaine said. "And next time, let's go to Al's, okay?"

"Well, make it quick, Branks. I have a meeting to attend. Have to show my gratitude to the one who paid these assholes to miss and shoot me in the side."

"Oh, no. Not tonight you aren't. You're in no shape to be running around playing hellraiser and Indians."

"It's not until tomorrow night."

Branks turned to Crimson. "And that goes for you too. Jail cells...I need jail cells..."

Harris shook his head. She promptly hit it with her palm, snapping, "Stop that and hold still!"

"Now, then. Lessee...how many people dead today..." He started counting in his head, figuring it ought to piss someone off. He sighed. "What a day..."

Crimson looked at Alex. "Well, welcome to our humble home."

"Nice place you have here, Mr. Velendez. So what kind of mad scientist lives here?"

"That would be me," Branks called.

"We are the Men in Black," Shaine deadpanned. "Didn't I tell you that?"

Harris shook his head.

Alex looked slyly over his shoulder. "...Right."

"And you, sir, have been selected for a chance at the last suit you will ever wear." Alex laughed at her. "I'm serious!"

"Oh? Explain."

"He'll figure that out in time, ah...Agent L..."

She smiled. "Yeah, better let you handle that, Zed..."

Crimson exhaled sharply. "We have been in the company of one of the worst terrorist groups to plague Genom."

"And what do these terrorists call themselves?"

"They are the Steel Ravens."

"Them? What have they done, besides maybe help the cops out a few times?"

"That depends upon whom you ask."

Shaine cut in. "Do you really think the AD Police is what keeps rogue Boomers from overrunning the streets?"

"There are those who think the Ravens heroes, and those who think them demons. Either way...we are them."

"The AD Police! Hmph...they couldn't fight a normal work Boomer!"

Shaine and Crimson both grinned at that. "Some could," Crimson argued.

"So let me get this straight. You're the Steel Ravens?"

"Yes, we are."

"Interesting. That explains the underground base and all..."

Branks looked at him. "Gee, then maybe you can explain it all to me..."

Alex looked at his surroundings. "So what does this have to do with me? --Oh..."

"You simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and because of what happened you were brought here."

"No kidding." He backed up slightly.

"There are two ways out of here."

"Yeah...thought that line would come up..." He slipped into what looked like a defensive stance.

"Only this time it's not a line. We could use another person of your abilities."

"Oh?" He relaxed a little."Don't you guys have a test or something? Or is it just, 'hey, we like you, you're in?' "

"We'll get to the tests soon enough."

Alex nodded. "Suppose that I agree, then...what happens?"

"There are a few matters still to be taken care of."

"Such as?"

"Normally we contact a recruit only after an extensive background check."

"And was such a check done on me?"

"At this point, no. We know some basic information about you and what you have told us yourself. However, that's not a problem."

Alex nodded again. "Everything you would want to know about me is in the CIA database at Langley."

"We go beyond the CIA; they tend to miss a few things." Shaine smiled as he said that. "And we have a set of rules which you must adopt as your own:

"You will not divulge any information concerning the Steel Ravens. You will never act upon a personal grudge. You will never act without the mutual consent of all Ravens.

"You will not attempt to secede from this organization. You are responsible for damage to the organization's equipment while it is in your possession or use, unless that damage was unavoidable. You will never divulge information regarding any of our clients. 

"You will not attempt to gather intelligence on your own. This task will be divided among all members as seen fit. You will keep in regular contact with other members. The penalty for violating any of the rules is death. Do you understand?"

Harris grinned. _Well gee, I must've broken at least one of those by now and I'm still alive..._

"Just one question...what is your goal?"

"To destroy Genom," Shaine said quickly.

"We stand between Genom and human life," Crimson explained. "They tend to think they're all-powerful. We defend the innocent, stop rogue Boomers, cyborgs, and other man-made monsters."

"What the hell, I'm in!" He smirked. "Those suits of yours...I get one, right?"

"Yes. One will be made for you at the right time."

"And until then?"

"A temporary suit. But a word about that: the suits are owned by the Ravens, but you will have full access whenever you need it."

"So it'd be best not to wreck your suit. Had some difficulties some time back about that..."

"No kidding," Shaine muttered, sneaking a glance at Harris. Crimson shook his head.

"A little rough on the equipment, are you?"

"Naw, not really..."

Shaine's voice lowered even more. "Snakebite Effect..."

"You have no idea," Crimson said.

"I was within the parameters of the mission - which was completed without fail."

"Yes, and you're not the only one who's done it."

Alex stifled a laugh.

"...Something funny?"

"Oh...no." He was nearly in tears from holding it in. Turning away from Harris slightly, he winked at Shaine.

Harris stood and walked over to him, his expression cold and distant. "Really. Seems we're a funny man...want something to laugh at?"

"Sure." Alex looked right into his eyes.

Harris sucker punched him in the gut. "Just remember...you asked for it." Shaine's eyes widened in surprise as Alex took it - and smiled. 

Crimson leapt to his feet. Harris turned and started walking away. "My turn," Alex said, and stood, landing a punch on Harris's back. Harris turned, pivoting on his right foot, bringing his left foot around to meet the side of Alex's head.

Alex slumped to the ground.

Harris took a few steps back, clutching his side. Blood soaked through his shirt. _Now I'm definitely pissed..._

"Enough," Crimson snapped before Harris could do anything more. _Now what...?_


	7. Is There a Doctor in the House? (pt. 3)

Is There a Doctor in the House? (cont'd. 2)  
_By Alex, Harris, Kit, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: R._

__

-5-

Branks ran to Alex's side, taking her penlight out again and flashing it in his right eye. "He's out cold."

"Shaine, help Branks get him up on one of the beds."

_I wonder if all men are like this...? Or is it something special about the ones I meet?_ Shaine gritted her teeth. He was heavy.

"We should get him to the MRI," Branks said. "I don't like the way Harris hit him."

"Why?"

"It was too hard, and too fast. Normally I'd just wait for the swelling to go down but it's too large of an area and Harris knows how to kill."

"Can you two carry him that far?"

"Think so," Shaine said.

"If you were a gentleman, you'd help us," Branks whined.

"Doctor's orders. No heavy lifting or saving the world."

"Rescinded!"

"And who exactly decided that doctor's orders don't apply to small women?" Shaine grated.

Crimson took Alex's arm from Branks. "On three, Shaine. Help me guide him in. --True, though...I keep forgetting that you sang 'Shaft' today."

"Yes, Shaine, that ought to be enough to get you a rubber room; why not strap yourself to a bed?"

She hissed as she hefted her side of Alex's limp form upward as best she could. "Down, girls - er, ladies... I need _someone_ on this team to be in one piece. ...You feel like tearing her face off, Shaine?"

"Hey, if you could get Harris back here for a moment that would suit me."

Crimson grinned. "Sorry; forgot to tell him to stay on a short chain. But if you want, I can hold her down?"

"Brave talk from a sick man. Picking on poor, helpless females...what, did Mother Nature tear out your protective glands?"

"Nope, never got any. Makes it easier to do my job."

They reached the MRI and Branks went to the control booth.

"You'd think she'd have a better beside manner," Crim sighed. "Hey, here's an interesting thought: what if Mother Nature made men to be asses because we always had to fight for women?" He grinned.

Shaine gave him a strange look...which apparently seemed to be justified as he slumped to the floor and started laughing.

"You know, man...I think you got it worse than I did."

"No, I'm fine! I feel all right."

"Painkillers and antibiotics kicking in... Figures. He goes down when we need him the most." 

_As a beast of burden?_ Shaine smirked.

"You should be hitting the floor sometime soon, too. But _please_ don't sing, either of you!"

"No, thank you." Shaine leaned against the wall for support. She didn't feel like making any more of an ass of herself that day than she already had.

"Hmmm," Branks said, looking down at her console. "Left side is swollen, and he seems to-- _Shit_...he has massive swelling and what looks like a bone chip--" She went to the phone and punched a number in. "Shaine, I need to get Alex to the operating room now. Get Crimson and yourself out of here."

Crimson held out his hand; Shaine took it and helped him up. They managed to make it back to the beds but both collapsed, weak-kneed, once they got there.

///

"Wakey, wakey!" Shaine's eyes shut even tighter as Branks shone her penlight at them. "Shaine, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Forty-two."

"Forty-two?" Branks sighed. "Well, it's better than 'Shaft.' Can you stand?"

"C? ...The answer is always C; I remember that much."

"No, the answer is the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle," Crimson said.

"Nooo...no math..."

"Well, I see you're feeling better!" Branks smirked.

"What's next, prime numbers?" Shaine managed to sit up, pouting and with a large clump of hair hanging in front of her face. She pushed it aside.

"Now, if you will follow me, o High Master of the Ravens..."

"Sure; you can be Raven Four, Bell will be Raven Eight..."

"Huh? High Master?" Shaine shook her head. "Hate to say it, bub, but you're not pretty enough to be Caden. Although I do have to admit you've got him beat in the brains department..."

Both of them stared at her. "Dare I ask?"

"Star Trek: Mariner? The only show worth watching anymore?"

"Sorry, don't watch that one.."

Shaine shook her head.

"And besides," Branks added, "I was talking to him."

"You know, if I could find just _one_ Raven who speaks the same language I do..."

"At least she admits to watching it for the medspeak."

"Well I hope you gave Alex better than that! If he's walking around here with a grey lump of biotech on his neck for the next two years, I'm gonna hurl. --Though it _would_ help him with that dislike of Harris..."

"Unfortunately I don't think Alex is going to be walking around the Nest very much."

Shaine's head jerked up and her eyes widened.

Branks pulled out a series of MRI scans and X-rays. "Harris hit him hard - it broke part of his skull. One of the bone fragments was very small...but managed to embed itself in Alex's brain. As you can see here, it's lodged in there pretty damned good. His short term memories of the past few hours are gone, and his long-term memory is as good as erased. If I remove it, he may die."

"Or be a complete vegetable," Crimson said.

"Shit..."

"Yes, even with the Boo--"

"No, not unless he asks for it. I won't turn him over just like that..."

"Don't you ever get tired of playing God, Crimson?"

"Don't you? It may save his life, and he may go on to have a full life - or he may run to Genom and tell them everything."

"Having a Boomer part doesn't make you a Genom toady."

"Do you know that? Have you had any implants yourself? I've seen friends turn on me. It's never pretty, and it doesn't make it any easier."

"No, but I've done it many times."

"Even...my family didn't want me to get any augmentation..."

Branks turned on Shaine. "Why?"

"She doesn't have to answer to you, Branks; you have no right to judge her."

"And you do?"

"Yes. I do."

"Who made _you_ God? What right--"

"I have the right, Branks, because I brought these people together. I know you don't give a rat's ass about me, but there's one little thing that you're overlooking."

"And what is that?"

"I'm the leader. This is still America, and we still all have rights, but as Ravens you swore an oath to me and to this team. So it was you who made me God. You expected me to find a way to save all of you from Genom. 

"Or have you forgotten being raped by a Boomeroid? Nearly flunking out of med school? How about the way you had to sell yourself on the street? You asked me to save you. I did. All I asked was for you to help me save others. Is it easy to forget that in your penthouse, with your big screen TV and large paycheck, _Doctor_ Branks?"

"That low," she muttered.

"Shaine, do I ask too much?"

"No."

"Have I ever asked you to go against your free will?"

"No."

"I regret that we all have to do this. I wish the world could be a peaceful place where humans didn't sell out other humans - but it's not. Lives are cheap. I'm not right, Branks, I'm just the lesser of the two evils. Get used to it; there's nothing else left. As for Alex, we patch him up and get him to a normal hospital and I'll take it from there."

"You can't do that."

"I can't what, Branks? What can't I do? I can't treat him like this? I can't just turn him over? He can't be a Raven, not in this shape; he can't stay here and he can't be cut loose without some sort of backup. I'm doing the best I can. I'm giving him back his life--"

"This is not his life!"

"No...you're right. But it's better than having to shoot him."

"Let _her_ choose!" Branks pointed at Shaine.

"Why?"

"Because she's not a cold bastard like you are."

"Branks, don't turn this into an all-out fight..."

"I mean it! Let her pick. What will we do with Alex?"

"It's not going to change anything," Shaine said sullenly.

"Yes it would. It would change the fact that _he_ thinks he can do it."

"I won't let you turn him into a Boomer. So the only other choice besides what he wants is to put him down like some sick animal... I won't let you waste even half a life like that."

"See? I'm not the only one, Branks."

"Let him die his own way, however long that takes. But at least stay out of it." Her jaw clenched, tight.

"Welcome to the real human race, Branks. You used to know that this was what it was like, what it was supposed to be. Either relearn or get out."

"I can't leave! It would mean..." Her eyes went wide, then cold.

"What would it mean, Branks?" Crimson baited her.

"It would mean you'd have to give up your pretty little castle..." Shaine mocked.

"Or worse." Crimson turned and walked past Branks.

"Bastard. --How can you take his side?"

"Nobody's on nobody's side, Branks. And I refuse to even touch something that close to Genom."

"Why? Your family has." Shaine's expression didn't change. "In fact it's wallowed in Genom... Wasn't it Evon Kohl who used to help Stingray? Wasn't he one of your family?"

"He was my father."

"See? It goes even deeper. I could save him, _right now_, maybe even make him better than he was before...doesn't that matter?"

" 'You could never make it better," Shaine said, her eyes focusing on something far distant. "You couldn't take that mind and stick it into something it's not...and you couldn't bring back my Katya.' " She shook her head.

"Katya?"

"You say you watch Mariner?"

"From time to time...it has its moments."

"You could stand to pay a hell of a lot more attention."

"It's a show. Just a TV show."

"And why do you think so many people waste their time on it? What keeps people buying Anime when they can have American television for almost free, by comparison?"

Branks sighed. "I don't know, but you're going to tell me aren't you?"

"You want to talk about loss of free will, take a look at what western culture has done to the human race. I'm not going to listen to any more of this. Either you do it to him or you don't. But if you do, I have a few rounds with his name on them, for the sake of mercy." She got up and walked out.

Branks just stood there for a moment.

She finally went to get Alex, but when she got to the room she found it empty. Tubes hung from an IV bag, dripping fluids onto an empty bed.

"Damn him!" Turning off the lights with a fierce slap of her hand, she walked away.

Her footsteps grew fainter and fainter until only the sound of the dripping IV filled the air.

-6-

_The next night._

Erik bit back a gentle laugh as Hase struggled to remove a bit of chocolate syrup from the paralyzed corner of her mouth. _Things are going so well...it's almost possible to believe that it's gone back to normal._ Aside from the noticeable lack of quality in room service, the evening had been absolutely perfect.

Hase blinked suddenly, feeling a bit lightheaded. She put down her spoon. "Erik...do you feel something...?"

He frowned, shaking his head. 

Hase swore under her breath and grabbed a napkin, holding it over her nose and mouth. "Someone's trying to gas us!" She dove for her rifle, out the door before Erik could say anything. Gunshots sounded outside the room.

"Damnit!" He could hear energy weapons too. "Are your skin jobs here?"

"No. I thought you said we didn't need them."

The door exploded open. Hase raised her rifle and fired; what was left of the Boomer landed at her feet. It was one of her own. Erik looked down at it in disgust.

A giant, birdlike figure stepped into the doorway and cawed. Hase fired at it again. She hit dead-on, but there was no visible effect other than the birdman's mocking laughter.

_No. I won't lose her, not after--_ Erik grabbed his cell phone and started dialing. It raised its hands, Hase's eyes narrowed...the phone fell from his numbed hand. He dove after it, but the raven-thing blocked him and crushed it in one huge hand. "No fair, maggot. You may not call your 'skin jobs' to help you."

Another birdman walked up to Hase with a green canister; the canister hissed and emitted more of the knockout gas. She slumped to the floor. Erik watched in cold fascination as the ravenoid quickly and dispassionately stripped her and dragged her to the bed. She muttered something, but between the half-paralyzed mouth and the gas it was impossible to tell what she said.

The first raven creature grabbed Erik by the front of his shirt and hauled him up to eye level. "Do you know who I am?"

"Ja," Erik answered weakly.

"I'm Birdman!" it roared, then hit Erik over the head with another canister of the gas.

Vladimir Cinocard stepped into the room and grinned enthusiastically. Dressed entirely in black, a half-mask concealed the portions of his face left uncovered by his gas mask. "Ah, my dear lady...you have been chosen to breed the next generation of Steel Ravens. How does that make you feel? --Oh, yes, the gas has taken hold. Well, dear heart, you won't remember much of this, but you ought to be proud. I'll be using you to make a whole new breed of Ravens, stronger than any Boomer you have...or ever will have."

He slid a small pouch out of his pocket. "Do you know what this is? ...No, of course not. Nor should you." _Too bad it'll hurt, but this is for the greater good. _"An extractor. I intend to take a few of your unfertilized ova - which you won't even miss - and from them the new Ravens will be born."

He placed a small metal device on her forehead. "And this..." His hand brushed against her cheek. "Will copy your cognitive patterns so that our new children will be stronger and smarter than before."

The hand wandered across her body, one side brushing against her breast and stomach, and came to rest upon her thigh near the barcode tattooed there. _Pity she's tainted. _Like his Victoria, but that was a different story.

There was a faint humming noise as the extractor snapped to life. "This won't take too long. It's a shame you would never be a willing party to this..."

"Father, what shall we do with the male?" One bird-creature asked.

Cinocard frowned. "Be gentle. He's only of use if he's still intact. But let's have some fun with Miss Hase...hold her down."

He waved a small container underneath her nose and she came to...somewhat.

"Nnnnhhh..."

"Come, my dear. Surely you're made of stronger stuff than _that_." She muttered something in German. "Now, now, such language! Is that any way for a lady to speak?"

"Uhhhh..." She managed to focus her eyes somewhat.

"I just wanted to tell you that soon you will be the mother of a new kind of Steel Raven." Her face contorted at that last word and she began squirming around in his grasp. "We have chosen you to become one of us - isn't that grand? I know you're overjoyed by it; I can tell.

"Would you like to see what one of your children will look like? Hm?"

She didn't answer. Her breath was ragged and her skin ashen.

"Every mother should see the face of her newborn..." He pulled one of the birds forward.

"Caw! Caw! Mommy!" It was probably the ugliest thing Hase had ever seen, even without the distorting influence of the drugs. The bird-thing kissed her on the lips, nipping her a bit as it did so. A few drops of blood welled up on her lower lip.

"See what a lovely mother you'll make... Well, my dear, any last words?"

"Blrbl..."

"Yes, they are birds! Do you wish to become one? You can be just like your children if only you ask..." She looked at it - or perhaps not; her eyes were pointed in the general direction, though none but the overly optimistic Cinocard would say for certain that she did.

He smiled.

"Ah, well. Maybe next time." Staring deep into her eyes, he continued: "Hmmmm, yes. You really do need to lay off of the alcohol; you won't remember this after tonight. A pity."

He scooped up his things and walked out of the room, raven-creatures trailing behind him.

///

She awoke to the sounds of rain and thunder. Someone had left the windows open.

Erik was lying on the floor, still out cold. Hase stood rather stiffly and went to him. Still breathing, steady pulse...but the lump on his forehead didn't look very good. She got some ice, wrapped it in a towel, and placed it over the lump. A crack of thunder nearly deafened her, but she gave no sign.

Her other hand went to his cheek. Absentmindedly Hase looked up at the rest of the hotel room. It was a mess, with black feathers everywhere and her Boomers lying near the door, both beyond repair. She leaned over slightly to pick up a feather next to Erik's shoulder; it was light and had an oily film to it. It smelled earthy...like it had come from the country and not the city.

Hase snarled.

Suddenly she remembered a hideous face...it called her mommy... She shuddered and dropped the feather.

"Kathy...?"

"No." She looked down at him with more compassion than would seem possible for her.

"What..." He winced, and she rubbed his cheek with her free hand.

"It seems I got to meet your Ravens."

Erik's hand went to hers, gripping it tightly. "I will make them pay for this." She grimaced and pulled away, rubbing the side of her stomach and swearing. "What's wrong? What did they do to you?"

"I don't know."

He tried to stand, but his legs were rubbery. Hase caught him.

"We need to get you to a doctor. Now."

"And what about you? Or have you not noticed that they left you a little present too?"

"I'm fine," he snapped, two fingers going gently to the lump. "It's a flesh wound, nothing more. We've faced worse than this."

She touched the lump. He winced. "What's that, then?"

"A flesh wound! I'll be fine. Did they say anything to you?"

"I remember... 'Mommy?' " She shook her head.

"_Mommy?_"

Hase nodded slowly. "I don't know if it was real or not... And his _eyes_..."

"What the hell?"

"Oh, God, his eyes..."

"What--" He got to his feet and guided her to the edge of the bed. "What is it?"

"They were yellow, and slit like a cat's."

"Like a cat."

"Yes."

"His eyes were yellow?"

She put her arms around his waist. "Erik, give it up. Go get your doctor."

"I'm not leaving you alone." He turned toward the phone and called Cullyn.

"Kohl here."

"Get over here now. I need an ambulance, protection for Hase and myself..."

"Boss?"

"And I need it yesterday."

"Yes, _sir!_"

He hung up. "They're on their way." Then he called the ADP commissioner and reminded him who paid the bills.

Erik looked deep into her eyes. "I'm...sorry. I should have dealt with them already." Then he looked at the rest of her. There were large bruises on her thighs. "When did this happen?"

"What?"

His hands went to her legs, gently prying them open. She winced. "Not now, Erik..." 

"You're bruised..."

"No shit!"

"What the fuck did they do to you? One called you Mommy, and they raped you..." She tried to pull away, her muscles weak and rubbery. "Those fucking bastards raped you!"

"Erik, _let go_." He did. She slid back further onto the bed, almost completely out of his reach.

"I won't let this go. I will not rest until I have their heads hanging from the Tower's walls!"

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "I can take care of myself."

"And what would you have me do?" _Stand here with my thumb up my ass same as I always have before?_

"Just let me handle this. I brought the new Replicants, and it should be no issue." Her voice was as cool and detached as ever.

"After tonight, they're more than an 'issue.' They tried to kill me, they probably killed Shaine, and now they've...defiled you. It's personal."

"Defiled?" She glared at him. "Am I your property too, then?"

"_No!_ Nothing like that!"

"I'm not some piece in your collection to be given a value and put on a shelf."

"Did I say that? Have I _ever_ said anything like that?" She said nothing. "It's just that they're turning this into a personal battlefield. It's one thing to target me; it's another to go after everyone I know."

"And let it stay personal - to them. If you go tearing off after them, they'll kill you. If you stay calm...you can have them." She inched closer. "I will give them to you."

He let out a weary sigh. "What did you have in mind?"

Hase's lips brushed across the side of his face. "Leave that to me."

"Fine. It's up to you." He stroked her cheek gently; she leaned into it, pressing herself against the side of her body. His own lips drifted towards hers as Cullyn, standing in the doorway, cleared her throat.

"About time you got here!" He moved to shield Hase's body with his own.

"Hey, Boss? Should I come back later?"

"No, what you should have done was be here to defend us."

"You told me you wanted your, ah..." Her head tilted thoughtfully to one side. "Privacy. Bring the Boomer, wait for him, leave."

He glared at her. "Hase, it might be safer if you stayed at my house after all."

"Things are close to being back to normal," Cullyn said. "Had to tell those stupid Zed-class construction Boomers what to do every step of the way but it's getting there."

"Cullyn, you wait here for the ADP. Tell them what happened."

"Won't they want to get a look at you? And, uh..." She jerked her head toward Hase.

"They will. At the hospital." Cullyn shrugged. "Yes, yes, I know... I called in a few favors. They'll search the place and then meet me at the hospital."

"All right," Cullyn said sweetly. "You want me to cooperate with them? 'Cause if not, I got a little something special for Detective Jacob." She slapped her thigh, held up her gun, and smiled cruelly.

"Cooperate with them," Erik hissed. "Remember that the _Ravens_ are our enemies, and the ADP just our hunting dogs."

A withering glance. "Sure." But her tone was not sarcastic.

"Then Hase will finish them. --Hase, get dressed. Something loose, preferably."

"Who came with you?"

Cullyn stared at her as she walked over to the dresser. "Sassenach and Eve."

"Good...good work. They'll go with us to the hospital, then."

Cullyn smiled a little. "Just remember, Erik darling, you promised me I'd live forever," she teased.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Cullyn. Have Sass look Hase over first, to be sure they don't miss anything."

There was a knock at the door. "Detective Jacob, ADP." Cullyn spun around, then hissed when she saw who it was. He held his hand out to show that he was unarmed, then flashed his badge. "Good evening, Mr. Kohl. We really must stop meeting this way."

Hase stopped, sock in hand, and stepped closer to Erik. Cullyn stood her ground, but tensed her muscles and hid her gun.

"Yes, we should. Perhaps if some people did their jobs better...?"

"We always do our best for upright citizens. Now, what happened here?" Jacob looked at Cullyn, then Hase. "Domestic abuse? Joy toy over here got wind of your new lady?"

"I can't believe our company made anything that stupid," Hase said flatly. "Are you Gulf and Bradley?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me, Detective. Oh...wait...you're human." It was the human - the original - and not Wolfstone's partner. "Figures."

"Well, score one for the Boomer! Nice to see you'll admit what you are...unlike some..."

"I'm twenty-eight percent Boomer. Unless your country's laws have changed, that still makes me human."

"She is," Erik said. "Check with Genom Rochester."

Jacob looked suspicious. "So what happened here?" Erik told him what little he remembered while the detective took notes. "And what's your take on this, ma'am?"

"I don't remember a thing after the gas hit."

Cullyn moved to cover his escape route, letting her laser claws slide out a bit while his back was turned. "Ah huh...did you see the attacker's face?"

"No. Or rather - I don't remember anything except his eyes. But I think I was hallucinating. They looked yellow, and had slit pupils."

Cullyn flexed her hands. Erik noticed and glanced at her sharply, and she put the claws away. Jacob saw Erik's dark glare and tried very hard not to look at Cullyn. "Anything else you'd like to add?"

"No."

"I'll see what we can do. There's a police escort waiting for you outside with the ambulance. We'll sweep the room," He turned toward Cullyn. "If that's all right with you? Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Cullyn smiled and him and licked her lips, then slooowly moved. Jacob shook his head and tried to convince himself he couldn't feel her eyes burning a hole in his back as he walked out.

Back in the squad car, he told Jamson, "Next time I'm in a room with them, have a sniper cover my back - from next door."

"Sure thing. --Can I have you car after you're gone?"

///

Dumped in the emergency room together, Erik and Hase waited a good long while. Finally a Dr. Branks appeared.

"I have your test results."

"Well, then...will I live?" Erik smirked.

_He looks familiar..._ "No, I'm afraid you have two days to live. You'll die of bad comedy poisoning."

"How horrid," he sighed. "Cut down at the tender age of 45."

"It's fatal unless you pay ten times as much to your doctor. But be that as it may...you don't look over 75 to me. You'll live. A mild concussion, a few bruises..."

"Feels like a hangover."

"The gas will make you ill for the next few days. Try not to eat too much, and drink plenty of water. As for Ms. Kant... Ms. Kant has had some unusual damage done to her uterus. We're not entirely sure at this time what could have done it, but it's as if a Boomer has tried to fuse with her."

"_What?_ That's not possible!"

"Whoever did this, he knows Jack shit about the human body."

"The thing that attacked her said it was the Birdman. That thing hates Boomers...or am I wrong?"

"Birdman?"

"Yes."

Branks sighed and took out the X-rays. "This city gets weirder by the day. ...I'd say it looks like it tried to fuse with her, due to the nature of the damaged flesh. There are signs of possible probing here, here, and here. Now, nothing known to us can do damage like that. But what it looks like..."

She trailed off, frowning.

"I can tell you it's nothing Genom knows about--"

"We had a female prostitute in here last week with the same markings." Erik's head jerked up suddenly. "They found her with a Boomer on top of her."

"I can assure you that Boomers were not involved," Erik replied coldly.

"After we managed to cut her free - took about ten hours - it looked a lot like this, but worse. There are still a few tests to look into, but whatever it was, you're very lucky. There's no permanent damage."

"How long will it take to heal? Will I be restricted in any way?"

"And also there's a chance that you are pregnant."

"What...?"

"As far as restrictions - besides the obvious - stay off of your feet, no lifting, no exercise, and no undue stress. I'll give you some painkillers and a cream."

"And as for what you were just saying?"

"Yes, the test is inconclusive but the early indications would imply that you are with child."

Erik placed his hand on top of hers; she shoved it away.

"If you like we could do a full run of tests, find out who the father is."

"Yes."

"We'll need a sperm sample and a few more samples from you, then."

"I'm afraid it's going to be rather hard to get this 'Birdman' to cooperate."

"Yes, well...I meant Mr. Kohl here. It is routine, after all."

Hase stared at Branks as if she were crazy. "Well, no harm in it," Erik said lightly. Hase looked up at him sharply; he smiled and she looked away, muttering a few obscenities in German.

"As soon as the ADP can bring us a 'Birdman,' Ms. Kant, we'll have it tested," Branks continued. "But for now you need to get some rest. 

She walked out of the room, going to her office and closing the door behind her. 

"Did you get it?"

"Yes, my love, a few more minutes..."

"What's the matter, dear?" Vladimir Cinocard asked.

"They think it was a Birdman. They don't believe that it was a dream..."

"And this bothers you?"

"Yes! They'll use force if they have to, in order to find out the truth, and that will endanger you - and our children..."

"Yes...our children. Like the ones the real Ravens have killed. This is fair revenge for them: let our enemies take care of each other!"

"Yes, I know..."

"Good." Vlad smiled, kissing her gently on the cheek and going to the open window. "I'll see you later tonight, my dear. You can bring the samples with you."

He slid through the window frame and was gone.

///

"Feeling any better, Buns?" Erik murmured.

"A little." Hase stretched a bit as she got out of the car. "But whatever that witch doctor gave me, it's making my legs feel like rubber..."

Without another word, Erik lifted her up into his arms and carried her up the hill; Eve deftly recovered his umbrella and held it over them, her dark curls already plastered to her face by the rain.

Far too exhausted to complain, Hase rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Once inside the house, Erik spared a glance for the still-incomplete south end, then headed in the other direction.

He whispered in her ear, "I think we'll stay in Kathy's room for now."

"Good. I haven't woken her yet."

Erik set her down on the bed, then brushed a hand against her cheek. "Get some rest, all right, Buns?"

"Erik?" _Shaine?_ He forced himself to stay outwardly calm, heart racing as he slowly turned toward the door.

Cullyn stood next to the young woman and distinctly failed to inform Erik as to her identity...he had to assume that it was the new Replicant.

"Hello, Shaine," Hase said weakly.

"This is the new one?"

"Yes."

"Go back to your room, Katerin."

She pursed her lips. "I thought she called me Shaine...?"

"I will call you Shaine when you have earned it. Now go." He glared at her retreating form, then wordlessly stepped out into the hall.

_Damn it...where's Eve?_ There was the sound of water sloshing across porcelain, and as he turned he could see her leaning halfway over a bathroom sink, squeezing the water out of her hair. "Eve."

"Yes, sir?" She stopped, hands still wrapped around the long fall of dark hair, and looked up at him.

"Wake Kathy up and put her in the guest room. I'll be there to see her later."

"Yes, sir." She walked out into the hall, about to pass him by.

"Oh...and another thing. Do you know the names of the other new Replicants?"

"Anri and Zhora."

"Right. Well..."

Eve nodded, scuttling sideways toward escape. "I'll go wake Kathy, then."

He watched her leave, then sighed. _Damn that Rabbit._

_Damn her for taking my mind off of what's important in all of this: my family..._

"Cullyn," he called.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Come here." He placed an arm around her shoulders, walking her away from the bedroom, then lowered his voice. "I want you to track down these damned Ravens and finish them, no matter what Bunny is doing. And find Shaine. I'm not giving up until her body is dead and rotted and I've seen it."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, and one other thing...Hase does not know about this."

"Of course, sir." Cullyn smiled hungrily.

"I'm going out; I'll be back later this evening. Make sure Kathy is awake by then; I gave the job to Eve."

"Where are you going?" He glared at her, and she did her best to look repentant. "...If I need to find you..."

"If you need to find me you can call me."


	8. Is There a Doctor in the House? (pt. 4)

Is There a Doctor in the House? (cont'd. 3)  
_By Alex, Harris, Kit, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: R._

__

-7-

The city lights glowed white against the black curtain of night. A heavy rain had left the deserted streets of Chinatown slick. The front of the Little Dove restaurant was still lit, and a large (probably armed) man crossed in front of it about every five seconds.

Harris descended to street level and headed for the back door. There was only one guard by it; he walked up to the man, still cloaked, and snapped his neck. As he stepped over the body, a small Asian man walked out from the kitchen and turned pale at the sight of the dead guard. Harris quickly and efficiently broke his neck as well, then tossed the bodies into the dumpster outside.

Going back inside, he saw a typical restaurant's kitchen. A pair of men were cleaning up and yammering at each other in some Asian language, not even noticing that they'd lost their two friends. Harris continued on through a set of double doors after grabbing them by the hair and slamming their heads together. The decor inside was cheap, but with delusions of great taste: fake Ming vases, dragon statues...the obligatory Buddha statue... He kicked one vase, sending cheap china flying across the floor. "Cheap."

Laughter came from the room at the far end of the hall. A tall, thin man with the look of a pinched nerve on his face walked out holding an Uzi. Harris pulled the weapon out of his hands, then smashed his head in with it. There was just enough time for an expression of shock to register on the man's face before he fell. Harris crushed the Uzi and tossed it aside before going on.

The laughter had stopped. Two men stepped out of the room at the end of the hall, one holding a sawed-off shotgun. The pair of them together looked like they weighed a ton.

_Not here...damn._ He slid past the walking man-mountains and tried another hallway. At the end of that one was a sign that read 'Office' and from behind the door came a series of low moans. Opening the office door, Harris saw a man in his late thirties with his silk shirt hanging open, three women with painted white faces fondling him. The man's neck was arched back, making it hard to see his face, but he seemed to match the profile the Ravens had on him.

Harris sighed. "You fucking pervert..."

Hou Chian's head snapped forward and the women looked around. "Who's there? Wong? Rodent?" He reached for an open desk drawer. Harris shook his head and fired a rail at Chian's head. It landed between his eyes, which rolled back into his head.

"Yet another issue solved," he muttered, turning back toward the hallway. The women tried to run out of the room but ran into his hardsuit. And sure enough, two sumo-sized men came out of the room at the far corner of the hall to see what was going on. Harris smirked as he ignited his laser sword, rushing toward them and slashing at their necks. It went through the first sumo as if his neck had been made of butter; the second one pulled back in shock and lost only part of his arm. The first of the reinforcements behind them ran into the falling body and was pinned underneath, and the last guard in the stampede turned and ran. Harris fired another rail at his back and then finished decapitating the second sumo. Finally he ran his laser sword through the chest of the man pinned to the ground by the first sumo. Blood fountained up, pouring out onto the carpet. Harris heard two of the women whimpering and crying in shock; the third was simply standing there in shock.

Returning to the office, he went through the desk drawers. A stack of hypercards, a map of the city, two tickets to a Bulls game, a bottle of brandy. "Damnit, isn't there anything worthwhile in here?" Along with seven guns and sixteen knives he found a ledger and about twenty pounds of crack cocaine. Picking up the ledger, he found that it contained only his records for the restaurant. He was making somewhere in the low $14,000's. Harris sighed again.

"This is a waste of time..." He severed Chian's head from the neck and took hold of it by the hair. A little under half an hour later he was at Julian Luna's house. The lights were on...seemed he was back from his Italian "vacation" a bit early. After peering through the windows and seeing no sign of the mob boss, Harris flew up to the roof and spotted him in the spa behind the house.

Luna was relaxing with a bottle of wine and had only one bodyguard by him, maybe five feet away. Harris walked up behind the guard and decapitated him, then decloaked next to Luna.

Luna regained his composure a bit when he saw the hardsuit appear. "And who are you?"

Harris tossed Chian's severed head into the churning water. "One of several fans of yours."

"Really. Then I must thank you for this gift." He took the head in one hand, stamping out his cigar on the forehead.

"The best way to thank me is to do one simple thing." Harris lifted his arm, aiming his railgun at Luna's chest. "Die."

He fired, and blood poured into the water. Cloaking again, Harris beheaded Luna.

These little trophies of his would make a nice present for the ADP...

///

Detective Jacob - the human one - yawned as he opened the front door of the Chicago ADP totem pole. _Ought to call Dad tonig--_ His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of two bloody, severed heads lying on the front steps of the building.

There was a note next to them: "Two problems solved...thank me later."

-Epilogue-

The light hurt Alex's eyes. "Ngh..."

"You're in a hospital. There was an accident." The man had a plain, unrecognizable voice, and stood so that the open window was behind him. Alex could just barely make out an ADP insignia on his shirt.

"What happened?"

"You had saved a girl from a car wreck - correction, a kidnapping - and somehow the car flipped over in the chase. You took a nasty spill...been in a coma for two days now, it's been touch and go."

"I saved someone? What the hell am I?"

"You're a paramedic, and a hero."

"I don't remember any of it. Sorry."

"Your short-term memory was lost. In time it may come back, or you could try to speed up the recovery process with a Boomer implant."

"Boomer?"

"I'm sorry...cop slang. They would take out the damaged brain tissue and replace it with a cyborg part. The damaged connections might or might not be recovered, but either way you wouldn't suffer any of the aftereffects you'd have without the implant."

"And if I don't do that?"

"They're not entirely sure."

"Do you know me? Would I let them do that to me?"

"I'm sorry, no. I took the case because of what you did. It was the bravest damned thing I've ever seen."

Alex thought about it for a while. "I think..."

"No, don't tell me. I'm just here to check on you. You ought to be telling your family and doctors."

He went silent again. "You said I was a hero," he finally continued, "Did the girl get hurt?"

"No, she's fine. Just a few cuts and scratches."

"I don't remember."

"Yeah. It's a shame."

"Would you let them do it?"

The uniformed man seemed taken aback. "Do what?"

"Let them put that thing in your head?"

"It's not up to me, Alex. I can't say..."

"I saved her life. I guess that's worth something more than memories. Do you think it's worth it?"

"Yes, I do...but then that's why you're the hero. Take it easy, Alex."

Saki was waiting for Crimson when he stepped out of the room. "Does he..." Crim shook his head. "What did you tell him, then?"

"I told him that he was a hero."

"But that's not true!"

"It will be. They never found that missing girl, or figured out what flipped her car."

"Alex wasn't assigned to that case. He wasn't even on duty then."

"No. But the girl never saw her hero, or the wings and talons that pulled her free. All she knows is that someone said an off-duty medic was there to get her out. We traded two deaths for two lives; does it matter that nobody will ever think to ask who did what?"

"And the media?"

"They'll see a goodwill story that'll boost ratings and they'll see dollar signs written all over it. Chian's dead; we don't have to worry about Alex getting the attention."

"So he will be a hero."

"Yes."

"He'll be the hero that none of the other Ravens can ever be. Why?"

"Because no matter what we can't afford to be that open, that pure...we have to remain out of sight." Crimson started walking down the hall toward the elevator.

"They say the angels hide from the view of men."


	9. April Fool's Day Massacre

April Fool's Day Massacre

April Fool's Day Massacre  
_By Harris, Mitch, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: PG-13._

Crimson seemed to be in a good mood despite the past few hectic days. "Jim, you in here?"

Harris looked up from the TV, then turned it down. "Yes."

"I've found the pattern to Luna's book and cracked it." He stepped into the room, sidestepping an April Fool's Day trap left by Belladonna, and handed Harris a computer printout:

_Caesar Luna, third cousin to mob boss Antony Luna_

_Lieutenant to Luna, running the mob while Luna is on vacation_

_Meeting place: Home Run Inn on Alquinqune Rd., Alrenton Heights III_

_All contacts are to order a drink at the bar at 1:23pm, Coke and red wine_

Harris turned the TV off, tossing the remote aside and studying the paper carefully.

"It was set up so that anyone in the organization would know how and where to talk to the others via bars and restaurants. They'd meet there, talk shop, and then go back to their lives. Pick a team, and see what you can get from good old Caesar."

"Pick a team?"

"Yes. He's been known to have bodyguards, and unlike most members of the mob he's been seen in a Boomer shop lately...and even in a private meeting with Carter."

"Then I take it I _have_ to take someone this time." 

"Good. Now if you'd excuse me, I have a Raven whose rear needs some kicking..." He collected the trap from the doorway and walked out of the room.

Harris sighed and pulled himself up to go get ready. When he arrived at his room, there was a brown box lying by the door. He looked down at it, then scooped it up and took it inside.

He sat down on the bed and opened the box. Fake, spring-mounted rattlesnakes popped up and a camera mounted inside the lid flashed.

"Funny..." He shook his head.

"Thank you!" the box chirped in a high-pitched, synthetic voice. Harris tossed it to the floor and stepped on it, crashing the camera. It sparked and sputtered, then the snakes stopped moving.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Saki stood in the doorway, her face far from unreadable. "I want to be on your team."

"You do."

"Yes." A hard, determined look burned in her eyes.

"Why is that?"

"I failed. I've never failed before..."

"And you want to turn this into a chance for redemtion, I take it?"

"There is retitution to be made."

"Very simple, then. If you come, you're support. That's it. No orders...no more mistakes."

She nodded curtly.

///

"Yeah, who is it?" Shaine scowled. "This is the third time this episode, and we're not even halfway through!" She paused the DVD and got up.

"So in the regular Star Trek universe, Kyria is a title?"

She glanced back at Rai. "It wasn't meant as a name even in Ghidorah. It means 'outcast' or something like that, in one of the Ai'ani diale-- Agh!"

She ducked just in time to miss the black blur. "Whatinhell was that?"

A toy raven hovered by the doorway.

"Hah. Very funny."

///

"You're the leader," Saki said forcefully. "I'll follow your orders."

Loud music suddenly filled the room: _I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world/Life in plastic; it's fantastic..._

"The child must die..." Saki intoned.

Harris pulled out his DE and left the room.

///

"Damn it, damnit, dammit..." Shaine could almost feel her blood pressure rise. "Got to turn this _off_..." _If Harris finds out my computer is where that garbage is coming from, I'm dead... _

_Theeere. Hah._ "You know that D- you mentioned, Rai? I think it's time to remind Bell of the importance of studying."

"Oh, yeah...and past time for her mother to find out. Maybe her father, too."

"No one touches my rig and lives."

"Don't think it's just yours. It might be Raven and our whole audio system."

"Maybe not...but _no one_ touches _my_ rig and lives..."

"You know she got everyone, not just you and me - oh, wait. I haven't been to my room yet...but in theory she nailed each of us."

Shaine nodded glumly. "Maybe I should just let Harris handle this."

"I'll get Crim to turn over her life insurance. ...I wonder how I should dress for her funeral..."

"Wear comfortable shoes; we'll be dancing on her grave."

///

Harris knocked gently on the door to Belladonna's room.

No answer. He glanced at the manual override next to the door, then thought better of it and simply shot out the hinges. He kicked it open as it started to give way.

The next thing he saw was whipped cream.

The pie missed his face, but slid down the front of his shirt. Without a word, he wiped away as much of it as he could then scanned the room.

A second pie flew toward him from one side of the room; he dodged and fired toward the source of the pies. A pie catapult stood near the wall, but the room was otherwise empty. Even her bed was gone.

"Damnit..."

He left the room and continued on down the hall. The command center was clear of traps until he hit the kitchen. Belladonna sat at the table, a box of cereal beside her and her back to the doorway. Harris fired a shot just above her head.

She didn't even flinch.

He fired again, this time at the cereal box. Still no reaction. He aimed carefully at the back legs of her chair, firing a shot into one. The leg splintered apart and the chair tipped over. "Belladonna's" head fell off and hit the floor, revealing a tube sticking up out of the false torso.

Underneath the table and behind the Bell doll's chair he could see a compressor. It came to life, spraying foam out over the room. Harris sighed heavily and, not bothering to wipe the foam away, continued out into the hall.

The labs seemed to be deserted. The first was clean, and the second held a set of fake skeletons playing poker. One was cheating. In lab three was a note to Jinks:

_Mom, went to Deis's for the weekend. Will be back on Monday._

_Talk to Lark about the mess._

_Love, Annibell_

Harris sighed again and took the note, heading for Shaine's room.

///

"Think we should see how much damage has been done?"

Shaine made a face. "Ugh...I don't even want to think about what else she might have waiting for us." 

"Bean burrito fed birds..."

"Yeah, I heard about that one before."

"...All kinds of traps. And heard is not the word. You should have smelled it!"

"Yeah, think I'd rather pass on that."

"Luckily, she only got a few of them to eat it...and luckily, she won't do any major damage to anything we use. Just these mindless pranks. Like this one time...she fed the panther rubber steaks."

"_Panther?_"

"Yeah, we had a smart panther as a pet."

"Shit!" She shook her head.

"Darien had the damned thing trained to drink beer and eat steaks. Lucky you never had to wake up to it."

"That sounds like something out of Blade Runner..." _Bioengineered, or synth? I can't believe Crimson would ever let _anything_ Boomer-based run free in here...!_

"Hell, it was better than Blade Runner! You'd get up in the middle of the night and it knew where you were and how to get you to feed it..."

"Shit," she repeated reverently. "And I thought my snake was an exotic pet."

"Naw, snakes her nothing. There was one time it managed to open the icebox by itself...but then, pets don't last long around here."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup. The raven spy birds are the longest-living animals we've had."

Shaine squirmed nervously._ Maybe Mojo would have actually been better off getting left with Val..._ "Well, what happened to the rest?"

"The panther was killed...one base was blown up..."

Just then, Harris stepped into the room slowly, not bothering to knock. He was covered in foam and whipped cream, with a gun in one hand and the note from Bell in the other.

"What in hell...?" Shaine moved ever so slightly away from Rai.

"Ahhh, the Prima Donna strikes!"

Harris handed Shaine the note. "The little bitch!" She threw it down on the couch.

"What, she holding us for ransom?" Rai picked it up and read it. "Figures. She's gotten smarter!"

"No. Where is that Deis's house at?"

"I think I can get there. Crim and I dropped Deis off once." Rai looked at Shaine, worried. "Not too far from the mall..."

"Then let's go get her."

"Hold on! There's a fine line here. We can't go busting into a civilian's house, just to get her..."

"I know Deis. And if we say Jinks wants her home, well..."

He glanced at Shaine again. "What did you have in mind?"

Shaine said nothing. The evil grin on her face was enough.

"I'll tell Crim to transfer her life insurance," Rai said weakly.

"Come on. We still have a mission to complete after this." Harris turned around and walked back to the door.

"A mission? Really?" Shaine grabbed her jacket.

"Imagine that. A mission. Can I tag along?"

"Shut up, Chewie."

Rai held out his arms and roared like a Wookiee. Shaine just shook her head, trying not to grin.

Then she saw Saki.

"Shall I go as well?"

"The mission is _after_ we take care of Bell," Harris said firmly. "But we have plenty of time anyways."

"Oh...hi..."

"Hello."

Shaine hurriedly tugged the jacket into place. "Well, let's get going then."

"I'll pull the van around."

_No, don't leave me here with..._ Shaine forced herself to smile. "Cool."

"Come on, Saki. Want to help take care of Bell?"

"It would be an honor to deal with the child," she said reverently.

"Just leave some for the rest of us!" Shaine laughed nervously.

Saki held up a rubber ice cube. "I found this in my bed - along with a number of real ones."

"Oh, um...well, let's go find the van...?"

///

"That's it, over there." Shaine pointed to a grey house with a large window and a beaten-up old car in front.

"Which one?"

"Over there, the grey one."

"Got it. Should I pull into the driveway, or the street?"

"Mmmm...driveway."

Shaine popped her seatbelt and hopped out swiftly, followed by Rai and Harris, who had his gun in hand.

"Perhaps it would be advisable not to have that showing...?" Saki hinted. 

He hid it under his coat. "Just get her out here."

"By your command," Saki whispered as Shaine knocked on the door.

It flew open to reveal a large, portly man holding a beer can. "Whaddayawan'?"

"Hi...is Anni visiting Deis today?"

"Deis? Whaddabou' her?"

"We came to get Anni. Her mom needs her back home."

"_OH_, yeah...hang on, I'll see if they're around." He turned and went to the stairwell, shouting Deis's name. A few seconds later he yelled again, then walked back to the door. "No, not here."

"Well...thanks." Shaine smiled nervously.

"Probably went to the damned mall with her no-good friends."

"If she shows up, could you tell her Lore Mueller came looking?"

Harris sighed and headed for the van.

"Lore Mulder? Yeah, sure. No problem."

"Um...thank you, sir..." She tactfully retreated as the door slammed shut.

"Okay, _that_ was fricking fun," Rai muttered.

///

"I got a bad feeling about this," Rai said as they pulled into the mall parking lot.

"We can't fail, Rai. We're on a mission from God."

"And may he have mercy on us all..."

Shaine nodded solemnly.

Rai turned to Harris. "Okay, bro, you're in charge. How are we gonna find the Little Girl Lost?"

Shaine's head jerked up suddenly. "There they are! Come on!" She grabbed Rai's arm and started dragging him toward entrance number two.

"Yeow! Easy on the arm!"

"Sorry..."

Inside there was a massive herd of people, all of whom seemed to be moving at a pace suited to molasses flowing uphill. Harris saw Belladonna off to the left and began following her.

Shaine headed off to the right, where she was convinced Bell was only a few feet ahead. She noticed Harris going into Abercrombie and Fitch, but kept going toward Belladonna.

Inside Abercrombie, Bell seemed to be talking to a young boy in the back. Sending an immovable customer flying into a rack of overpriced clothes, he crept up behind her and seized the back of her shirt. "Hi there...long time no see."

A girl with braces and hair the exact same color as Bell's stared up into Harris's face and screamed.

///

Shaine watched Bell stop at the food court, then redoubled her pace. She stopped right behind the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hi there. Miss me, Anni?"

She was met by a blank stare. _Damn! _"Sorry. Wrong person."

_Okay...where the fuck is everyone else? _

_..._

_Ought to check the comic book store. They're probably over there..._

///

_"Help, police!"_

Harris ducked out of the store quickly, finding Saki outside. "Where is the girl?"

"I think I see her over there..."

Another young girl with neon hair was headed down the hall toward the center of the building. _That one has got to be her._

///

If Belladonna was inside the comic book store, Shaine might never have been able to tell. The entire area was roped off and there were about a hundred people outside, talking excitedly. Omar was one of them.

"Hey, Omar! You seen Deis lately?"

"Yeah. She and Mav and um...Bell...are around here somewhere."

"Sweet. I've been looking for Bell."

"Really? She said you might be..."

"Yeah, well...her mom kind of needs her back home..."

"Not the way she told it...but...she said she'd be at the arcade."

"All right. If she shows up here, could you tell her to call me? She should have my cell phone number."

"Will do!"

"Thanks! And oh--tell her Han wants to see her too. It's important."

"But hey...did you hear what's going on today?"

"No, what?"

"The tinheads from Star Trek are here!"

"Tinheads?"

"You know, Boomers. They have Data..."

"_No fucking way!_" Shaine's eyes lit up. "The one time I can't stop..."

"...and Lore, and a few others doing signings."

Shaine whimpered softly.

"Yeah," Omar said.

"Damn iiiitt..."

"Seems the guy that owns the place knows them pretty good. We've got a spare ticket if you want to get in...?"

"_YES!_ Don't even _ask_ me..."

"Cool. Come on."

"Just...just...ohhhhhh..." _Is that Rai over there? Shit. Now what..._ "Rai, over here!"

"There you are! You find her yet? ...What the hell is going on here?"

"Ratboy?" Omar asked.

"Rai...oh... No, no, this is my friend Rai. Rai, _youwillnotbelievewhathejustsaid!_"

"And who are you?"

"I," Omar replied, "Am the Gatekeeper."

Rai looked at him, puzzled. "Computer, translation please?"

"Rai...just cover for me...please?"

"Cover for you?"

Her voice was trembling. "I'll make it up to you..."

"Well, sure."

"Thank you..."

"Whatever it is, get me one, okay?"

"Not sure if I can...but I'll have something special for you later on." She grinned slyly. _If they won't do more than one each I am _going_ to find a way to hack into them and make them..._

"Just like that?" Omar shook his head. "How about giving her some money, huh? Or at least a credit card?"

"Huh?" Shaine frowned.

"He should give you money, this is just _epic!_"

"He knows Bell, doesn't he?" Rai asked dryly.

"Yeah."

"Bell? Never heard of her." Omar smiled innocently.

Rai fished a credit card out of his pocket. "Here. Treat the kid to a muzzle as well."

"Nah, don't worry."

"Just take it."

"Well..." Shaine bit her lip. "All right." She put it in her back pocket and resolved to forget about it.

"All right. I'll meet you by the ice cream shop after I get what we came here for."

"Sweet."

"I know I am." Rai walked off down the hall, Shaine staring after him like a woman in love.

"_Man_."

"You said it! Where did you find him?" Omar shook his head. "He is so _fossil_..."

"Actually," Shaine said softly, "He fell from the sky."

Omar stared at her, then shook his head again.

///

"I just wish I could have seen it!" Bell gasped out, unable to stop laughing. Poe was also laughing uncontrollably, and Mav was desperately trying to catch her breath.

None of them saw Harris until he was right next to them.

Bell looked up...and suddenly froze.

"Hey, there you are, Bell! I've been looking all over for you." He held her shoulder tightly. She paled, and dove off to the right, but was quickly stopped by Harris's firm grip. "What's the matter, Bell? We've got some 'things' to talk about..."

"Er, hi... How are you today?"

"Oh, my day has been just grand - and I guarantee that yours is about to get much better." He started pulling her toward an exit. "You're wanted back at the base."

"Excuse me, sir! Unhand the fair maiden Anni!"

"Ixnay on asebay..." Bell whispered tensely. Then, louder, "That's great...but you know, Mom said to meet her later."

"I do not think so," Poe continued. "You will unhand her _this moment!_"

"Poe, don't. I got it..."

"Fear not, for I know I am In The Just!"

"Don't kill him...please?"

Harris's eyes turned cold and emotionless. "I won't kill him...but it is in his own best interest to leave. Now."

"Oh, yeah, I believe you now...really."

Poe slipped a wooden practice sword out of his shoulder bag. Holding the boken like a Highlander, he cried, "Honor would demand you face me, sir. Let her go, and _have at it!_"

_This little puppy _wants_ to be killed, doesn't he?_ "Don't worry. We'll talk later, Bell...I promise." She ran into a store as Harris let go and turned toward the gawky teenager. "Okay, Poe. Let's see what you've got."

"I'll be having your head if you'll let me!" He stepped forward and brought the sword down to Harris's left. Harris turned his body, holding his left hand out, and easily caught the sword.

He yanked it away from Poe's hand, bringing his knee up and snapping the sword in two across his leg.

"Whoa," Poe gasped. 

Harris looked up at him and tossed the broken sword down. "Let's just say that never happened. Come on...hit me."

Poe went into a karate stance and attacked again. Harris came at him from the left, catching Poe's fist and then kicking him in the stomach. He went flying to the ground, spreadeagled.

"Hey, that's my boyfriend!" Mav rushed to his side.

Harris shook his head. "Still wishing to hurt me?"

Poe groaned. "Death before dishonor, my foe..."

"Then get up and die." Poe stood shakily.

Harris felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, keeping one eye on Poe, and saw that there were four BUE-45 mannequin Boomers standing behind him.

"Poe, Mav, get out of here!" Belladonna yelled as the Boomers brought their arms up, trying to grab Harris. He could see her moving out of the corner of his eye, and the Boomers mirrored her.

He slammed the hilt of his DE into the side of one Boomer's head; a deep crack appeared in its face. Pulling back, he aimed for its chest and fired a round. Pieces of Boomer "skin" flew off as it pushed him forward, both arms reaching for the gun. He fired twice more, sending fuel spilling from its body, but the Boomer still held on tight.

Grabbing it with his free hand, he spun around to face the other Boomers. The one holding him brought its leg up feebly, trying to kick him with its high-heeled boots. It tripped, sliding halfway to the ground.

Another Boomer rushed him, and the last tried for a jump kick at his head. He shot the former, sending it flying backward into a storefront, and dove to the right to evade the second. Firing again, he downed the latter, but more kept coming. Having used up the last few rounds he grabbed for his laser sword and cut the first Boomer off of him.

As Harris pulled himself back up, he saw another Boomer coming at him wielding a piece of railing from a nearby staircase. It hit his shoulder and he winced in pain. The shoulder went numb and he lost his grip on the laser sword, which went sliding across the floor as he reached for the Glock on his right leg, pulling it free and then aiming at the Boomer as it brought the railing up to attack again. 

He hit with most of the shots, and it recoiled, dropping the railing. He saw Belladonna drop something and run...

...Right into Saki.

With some effort, he reached behind his back for his SOCOM, and fired one last shot. The Boomers stopped, and one took it in the head.

"Thank you, sir," it said in a perky synthetic voice as it toppled over. "Please come again."

By this time a crowd had gathered. Ignoring it, Harris stumbled to his feet, holstering the Glock and walking over to pick up his sword.

A rent-a-cop walked up to him. "Freeze!"

He stared at the cop, laser sword in one hand and still ignited, his SOCOM in the other hand.

"Er...please freeze, and walk to mall entrance number one?"

Harris shook his head and walked past the cop toward Bell and Saki.

"We should go." Saki stared off into the crowd nervously.

"Um, I take the Fifth...and I want to see Crim!" Bell said hurriedly as Carter and Cinocard walked by.

Harris stared after the couple, shaking his head. "All right. First off, you all need to get out of here _now_." Saki nodded. "I've probably got cops waiting at the front gate for me."

"There is another way out of here."

"You find Shaine and Rai and get out."

"Come." Saki led him to a door marked _Employees Only_. "Do you have your cell phone?"

"Of course."

"Call the others."

///

_Dear gods...did that just really happen?_ Shaine clutched the stack of autographed photos as if it were an unreleased Windows alpha.

"Did you have to recite the _whole_ first season to him?" Omar asked incredulously.

"Yeah, pretty much. But it was worth it to see the look on his face!"

"Man. I thought doing 'The Best of Both Worlds' was overkill..."

"Yeah, the first season was pretty intense, I'll give you that." She seemed to be staring off at some point in the middle distance.

"I mean, his Picard is good, but...you need help."

"Hm?"

"I said, you need help."

"Yeah, I hear that."

Omar grinned. "Let's go see if Bell is around."

"I'd better get go - oh, all right."

"Well...she said she was going to make sure no one found her...especially some madman she kept calling the Slinger."

"Slinger?"

"Yeah, some old fossil thinks he's a gunman. One of her uncles or something."

"I know who that is... You met Han, right? We've also got Boba Fett and Mara Jade."

"Great, so does this mean that they're going to try and kill me soon?"

"No, no...just make sure you stay on their good side."

"They have a good side? Which, the one that fires the bullet?"

"Well...not really a good side so much as a not-so-bad side." She shook her head.

"Uh huh, thought so."

"Let's make this quick. Rai probably thinks I'm dead by now!"

"No, not dead per se..."

She spun around. "Rai! You'll never guess what I got for you!"

"I just wondered if you'd stolen Data!"

Shaine laughed. "Oh, I would have...there were too many witnesses!"

Rai turned to Omar. "Kid, you checked to make sure she doesn't have him on her?"

Shaine's grin widened. "Remember Aellera? That cute little Ai'ani from the Alliance Council?" 

"You got her autograph?"

"Check this."

Rai stopped and faked a faint. He landed face first on the floor.

"Doesn't quite show how far down the scales go, but you can guess..."

"This is great... But we'd better hide these: Harris is not in a good mood."

"Oh...?"

"He had a run-in with Bell."

"Oh, man...how much blood we have to clean up?"

"No blood, just a few Boomers."

Shaine looked panic-stricken. "They didn't get Data...did they?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Rai burst out laughing. 

"Shut up, man, this is serious!"

"Okay, back to Earth... No, no Datas were harmed in the making of this Apocalypse."

"Thank Dani. ...What about Lore?"

"Bell had some Boomers come to her rescue, then told the mall cops he was trying to kidnap her. Harris just shot them up."

"What was she doing with Boomers anyway? Where did she _get_ them?"

"From the mall...."

"Aw, shit."

"..They were sales clerks."

"Aw, shiiit..."

"You don't know the half of it! Carter was here too, and she had some man hanging on her."

"Dani's _tits!_ What else, a family reunion?"

"Don't know...probably an invite waiting for you back home."

Shaine groaned.

"Um..." Omar looked nervous. "Who's Carter?"

Rai looked at Shaine.

"A friend," she said quickly. "You know...me, Mulder, and Carter?"

"Oh, great."

Her tone turned hostile. "I just hope the Smoking Man knows enough not to show his face around here."

"No, no one's seen him around..."

She moved closer to Rai. _Drugged, threatened, shot at, drugged again...what in hell did I do wrong?_ "You know...I never asked for this."

"No one does, not even Satan."

Shaine managed a weak laugh.

"Hey, Omar...I'm going to take her home. Get yourself a cab." He handed Omar some money.

"Thanks. I'll see you later, Scully."

"Bye, Luke."

He stopped. "May the Force be with you always!"

"N'jai sanat," Shaine added.

"Live long and don't drink cheap Romulan Ale," Rai called after him. "You got to live, Kirk!"

///

Outside, Harris was standing by the van and smoking. Once he saw Rai and Shaine he climbed back inside.

Shaine touched Rai's arm gently, whispering, "N'jai sadal, Rai."

"N'jai sadal, Shaine..."

_Oh, damn...does he really know Athmari? Or doesn't he know what he's getting into?_

_Me and my mouth... _She smiled and hopped into the van.

///

Crimson's office was packed. Crim was at his desk, looking a bit pale, with Jinks at his side. Shaine hadn't seen Mitch or Hugo in several days, yet both were there...along with Harris, Alex, Kit, and a few others. Lark walked in, Belladonna at her side, and Bell sat down in front of Crimson's desk.

"Help me? ...Please?"

Mitch responded with a harsh spattering of Gaelic which undoubtedly would have been vulgar if said in English. Shaine simply smiled and began humming. _As sometimes it may happen that a victim must be found/I've got a little list, I've got a little list/Of society offenders who all might well be underground/They never would be missed, they never would be missed!..._

"Order!" Crimson snapped. She stopped sharply, lifting her eyes and gazing coldly but calmly at him. "Belladonna, you have disrupted base operations and placed members of your team in danger, over a stupid joke that you carried too far. As of this moment, you are on Level 9 clearance and suspended from all Ravens activities for one month unless otherwise stated.

"From here on out, you will need another member to be with you at all times when you are at the Nest--"

"Crimson, may I say something?" Mitch asked.

"Speak!"

He took a labored breath to calm his temper. "Bell, you are like a little sister to me..."

"Great, the little sister," Belladonna mumbled.

"But...there are things you _don't_ touch in other people's lives...are you listening to me?!"

"She didn't hack _your_ computer, Mitch!"

"That wasn't me, Shaine, it was R-A-V-E-N!"

"_Bullshit!_"

"I only mention it to..."

Shaine snarled at her. Bell held her tongue and looked away, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Then who replaced my Guinness stouts with Bud, put a snake in my sock drawer, and recorded 'Barbie Girl' on my bagpipe tapes?"

"And what about the Beck's in my fridge? Huh? And where did you put the Erdinger?"

"Guinness and Erdinger was me...snake in socks was me..."

"You're just lucky you didn't try to give us _Canadian_ beer..."

"I didn't know you had bagpipe music, so _there!_"

"_Order!_ Mitch, bring it to a point _now_."

"If you had said you were sorry I would have forgiven you. But I don't like that attitude. That's all I had to say."

"I'm sorry, Mitch. I thought you would laugh at it...well, not the beer; I knew you'd be ticked about that. But I got carried away!"

"Welllll...I forgive you. I can't stay mad at you for too long."

"Thank you, Mitch. ...And Shaine, I couldn't hack your computer alone...I'd need Level 1 for that. Or Raven's help... I _swear_ I didn't do it!"

Mitch looked at Shaine, and Crimson looked at both of them. "...You're right, Bell. You're just a luser. But that really scares me...because I would like to know exactly how this happened."

"Crimson..."

"Yes, Mitch?"

"I have a job that would keep her out of trouble and put her to good use."

"What is that?"

"I have five hundred case files which need to be organized. You know how long that takes." He grinned at Crimson knowingly.

Shaine smiled. "Mmm...make her do it without recursive algorithms or pointers; that would be fun..."

"Nothing but _hours_ of electronic paperwork."

"Done, and done."

"Follow me, lass. I'll introduce you to the wonderful world of police work..."

"Erk," Belladonna replied.

"Now, as for Saki...your job will be overseeing Bell at the base, and outside of operations, while not at Starbright. And while at Starbright, or not with Mitch or at school, Belladonna will take over all filing duties.

"Saki, due to your status, you will not lead any missions until such time as I see fit, and until then you will be Belladonna's watchdog. Neither of you will be allowed into a hardsuit unless need be, and on my orders only.

"Furthermore, both of you will clean the Nest room by room, and each Raven's room, until they all shine...and get Bell's junk out of my supply room!"

"Ahhh...Crim, just a note here... It might be wisest to leave the equipment in my office _alone_, regardless of appearance..."

"So noted. At such time, you can have full command over both."

Shaine raised an eyebrow, then slowly grinned.

"May I have Bell now?"

"Request granted, Mitch. She's all yours. --Oh, and Bell...after this, report to Harris."

"Thanks, Crim. Come along, Bell...plenty of work to do!"

"The rest of you are dismissed. ...Having fun, Shaine?"

"Oh, yes..."

"One day it could be you at the wrong end."

"I don't think so. I don't pull pranks like that."

"Not under the same circumstances, no...but for now, enjoy it. Belladonna earned it this time."

Rai was waiting for her outside Crimson's office, and she barely took three steps before he swung her off of her feet. _I guess he did understand me! _She grinned.

"Just want to be rid of any trouble," he whispered, heading toward his room.

She trailed a few kisses up and down his neck, and got a rather emphatic response. _Walk faster, Rai? Please?_

"It should be quiet here." The room was rather plain, from what Shaine noticed of it - admittedly not much - as he placed her on the bed.

He rested his hand upon her cheek, and she looked up at him silently. Then he leaned in and kissed her, pulling her close. She kissed him back enthusiastically, but held back once the kiss was over, waiting for a response.

_Well...considering where he's got his hands right now I guess that's enough of a 'yes'... _She unbuttoned her jeans and began sliding them off.

"I know nothing...I will never talk!"

She chuckled. "Just don't tell me it didn't happen..."

"It happened. This is as real as either of us are."


	10. Two-Edged

Two-

Two-Edged  
_By Mitch, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: PG._

"So what do you want me to do?" Belladonna asked nervously.

Mitch led her through the lab into a back room. "This is the file room...your new office."

"Thanks..."

"You'll start out with the hard copies."

Belladonna's jaw dropped at the sight of the folders covering the table. "You're kidding?"

Mitch smiled. "It's not so bad."

"Uh huh...well at least I'll have a life again someday...when I'm seventy-five..."

"These need to be put in alphabetical order."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

"Just call me if you have any trouble."

"Okay..."

"But one thing..."

"Yeah?"

"Don't talk to anyone about what you read."

"What? I have to _read_ them too?"

"No, just the title on the top. I know how curious you are. ...What do you like for lunch?"

"Food...something other than bread and water...preferably Mickey D's."

Mitch smiled left her to her work, closing the door behind him.

"Great," Bell muttered. "Wonder how he ever works like this..." Irish music began to filter through into the room, and Bell somehow managed to bear it until lunchtime.

Mitch returned with cheeseburgers, fries and two large Cokes for Bell, noting that the pile had indeed gone down a bit. "How's my new file clerk doing? Are you hungry?"

"I am _starved_, and awful...what did you do, just drop these all over the floor? I mean, I found stuff as far back as '29!"

"That's why I needed a file clerk." He smiled. "Let's go put the food on the examining table."

"F-f-f-foood?" She grabbed the bag from his hand and raced out of the room.

"So am I a good boss?"

"Not bad," she said around a mouthful. "Almost as good as Crim."

"I have another cheeseburger here if you're hungry."

She looked up. "_Fooooood!_" The cheeseburger flew out of Mitch's hand and toward her mouth. He smiled again and took a bite of his grilled chicken sandwich. _I can't believe that she actually manages to breathe while she's doing that..._

"I know filing reports can be hungry work."

"Thank you. And I'm sorry about the tricks. So what did you ever do before me?"

He took a sip of green tea before answering. "I used to spend one month a year until I got too busy, so now I hire someone or get a Boomer to do it."

"A Boomer? Huh, you're cruel..."

"We need these hard files because computers can be doctored. But you've never seen a file clerk Boomer...no personality, but effective."

"You _dare_ tell me a Boomer can do _my_ job? I laugh in your face - I laugh at your beer! I laugh at your plaid shorts!"

"Well, humans do a better job."

"Damn right." She took a big gulp of the Coke.

"The can discriminate between files. Boomers work fast but they can mess things up. That's why I seldom use them."

"Yeah, I see how a Boomer would take one look at that mess and just go rogue...I'm not entirely sure I won't..."

"That's why I need a smart young woman to be my file clerk."

"Oh, so the beer switch and the bagpipe stuff didn't bother you at all?"

Mitch smiled as he took another sip of the tea. "Yes it did..."

"_Ah_, so you're just flattering me to put me off guard..."

"But I do remember what it was like to be a kid."

"Thanks. It's not easy, being a kid, a superhero, and trying to look normal..."

"Just learn to take stock in your friends and respect people, Bell. You'll go far."

"Thanks, Boss. I will..."

///

"Hey, Boss, you want the Wing fired up?"

"No, we're sneaking in, getting the sword, and sneaking out. No explosions, no plane crashes, and no bike chases."

Rai shot a pleading look at Shaine. _Boooriiiing..._ Crimson noticed and slapped Rai in the head.

"Hey, be careful, Boss! You know these pilot types get their brains sloshed around enough as it is..."

"That's okay. There's nothing valuable in there anyway. And you," he looked at Rai, "Be quiet."

Crimson smiled. "Don't worry, Freefall. We'll replace any broken parts."

"Really!"

"Full health, full coverage."

"Begging the Commander's pardon...but can we go now? Or is it Pick on Rai Day?"

"April second..." Shaine pretended to think for a moment. "Why, yes it is!"

"I do believe it's Pick on Rai Day!" Crimson turned to Shaine again. "Make a note: April second, Pick on Rai Day."

"Done."

"Gooood...now we have to think of something nasty for it." Shaine giggled evilly at this. "Maybe babysitting Bell?"

"Oh, no...that's just inhumane!"

"Or both Saki and Bell," Crimson mused.

"Isn't there some kind of law against that, Boss?"

"No, I make the law. Ravens' Law 10a: Pick on Rai Day may call for extreme measures... Let's get going."

"Extreme measures...ooh, I like the sound of that..." Shaine's eyes twinkled.

Rai groaned.

///

The flight to the trench went by quickly. "Freefall, scan the area."

"Looks pretty damned boring down there. There's some life, but not much. Most of it is at the other end, and farther down."

"Good. Rai, cover us. After you, Mulder." Crimson extended his arm.

_Mulder...? Oh, wait - to him, Val is Ratboy..._

Crimson sighed as they entered the trench. "Hard to believe we once fought fifteen battles here. I just wish they'd been spaced apart further. So, where is Excalibur?"

"Further down this way."

"This is where we fought Genom's first combat Boomers...and down there, Red Equinox." He smiled slightly. "And here is where I went head to head with Genom Chicago's CEO."

"_Huh?_"

"The old one. San...something. Never could remember his name. Anyway, we dueled, he called a few Boomers, and then he ran. We won, and Genom ate the losses.

"Ah, the good old days...things were so much easier back then. Did you know there was a time when we ran around without our cloaks on? Didn't even think to use them."

"Reckless..."

"Yeah. Stupid, foolhearted, and a few others too, but we did it. And the General gave us hell for it."

"We're getting close."

Crimson looked around. "Yes, this looks about right...I think. Darien moved around a lot during the fight."

He walked up to a pile of rocks. "Hmmm."

"That's not it. Over here."

"Next one over?"

"Yeah."

He walked over to her. "Scan for lifeforms again." He bent down, examining the ground near the rocks.

"Five lifeforms, about ten feet away...they've got a big-ass power source with them."

"Figured they'd be here. Not too uncommon...see this cable?" It ran under the pile.

"Yeah."

"It's a trap. Low level power running to it. A trigger of some kind. Do a broadband scan, say about seventy-five to eighty-five feet, expanding..."

"There's a gridwork of smaller power sources...a few hi-res spikes in the power. Scan confirms recording devices."

"Hm...whatever shall we do, Freefall?" He kicked a piece of debris. "Rai, we're being watched."

"Told you I had a bad feeling about this...but nooooo..."

"I'm open to ideas."

_Don't look at me,_ Shaine thought.

He did. "Mind if I have some fun?"

She shook her head. "How did I know you were going to say that?"

"Because you know I never do." He stood, kicking another piece of junk, and bouncing it off to the left. It hit the shell of a wrecked car, and nothing happened. "Freefall...can you do a low level laser burst, say five feet behind me, as I pick up the sword?"

"All right..." She armed her weapons.

"Oh, and jam the cameras and whatever other recording devices you think they might have." He adjusted some sort of control on his arm, then nodded to her.

Shaine fired, and Crimson's cloak flared out.

"Aw, shit! What was that?"

He pulled the sword free. "Special effects...with attitude."

"That's nice," Shaine said faintly, as cameras flashed around them.

"_WHO DARES?_" a voice boomed. Omar, Mav, Belladonna, and Poe crept out from behind another outcropping of rocks. Crimson pointed the sword at them.

"This is just peachy," Shaine muttered over the comms.

"Rai, please tell me Saki's standing out here somewhere?"

"Why me?"

"_Who dares disturb Excalibur?_"

"Mordred, Morgaine, and Sir Lancelot...heh..."

"Quiet, you. I'm trying to instill fear!"

"Can't exactly do that if you're laughing out loud, huh Boss?" Rai asked.

"Um...I am Omar, keeper of the Lore... Arthur Pendragon? But you are no Raven..."

"A Raven?" Crimson countered. "Do I have feathers?"

"Erm no, not at all sir...it's just...well, legends tell of another who shall claim the sword..."

"Bah! No one but Arthur shall claim Excalibur! --And now that I have, I shall be off."

"_Wait!_ You can't take that...it's not yours!"

"You dare call me a thief?"

"Er no...not at all...no, it's just that the knights of this city should claim this sword..."

_Well they've seen one Raven...two can't hurt..._ Shaine decloaked. "How can you not admit what is right in front of your eyes?"

"_Behold the Lady of the Lake!_"

_Aw, shit..._

"Which one? Michigan?" Rai laughed.

She turned off her external speakers. "Oh, sure, make me the aquatic tart who goes around tossing swords at people..."

"You, a tart, never? But I wouldn't mind if you tossed swords at me..."

"Watch it, pal..."

"Any time, my aquatic tart..."

"I used to have a full-sized replica Athmari longsword...and it was _sharp_."

"Yes, ma'am," Rai said humbly.

Omar was still sitting in stunned silence.

"You still do not believe me?"

"No, it's just the sword is so much more modern than...well, Medieval England, right..."

"Time is different in Avalon," Shaine countered.

"Arthur" looked to the lady. "And this world has changed...Excalibur has changed with it. Now, if you will excuse me, there is much work to be done." He turned away.

"Rai, pyros on five, right behind us...on five we cloak, and take off. One...two...three..."

Omar and the others called after them, to no avail. Seconds later, the black-armored knights were gone.

///

"A toast to the sword Excalibur!"

Shaine raised her bottle and drank straight from it; Rai followed suit. "Think there'll be an Arthur web page up next week?"

"One can hope...but I'm sure they'll somehow link him to the 'Birdmen'...whoever they really are. I kind of like those kids, they're so much fun..."

"Yeah, maybe to you," Shaine sighed.

"What, like them? Me, like _anyone?_"

She shook her head.

"He's got you there. I mean, _we_ work for him...and he hates us!"

"Yeah." She faked a British accent. "Help, help, I'm being repressed!"

"At your pay scale?" he retorted. "I think not, Ms. Gates."

"_What_ did you call me? That is just sick...just listen to the abuse I have to put up with!"

"You're shocked? He threatens to sic Bell and Saki on me and that surprises you?"

"True," Crimson admitted, "I am evil..."

"Well that was _you_, though, Rai."

Belladonna walked through the door and immediately cringed. Crimson looked at her. "Begging for your life won't help this time, young Skywalker."

Shaine took another sip of her beer. "Yer Hutt chow now, kiddo."

"No, guys. This is _bad_, and for once I had nothing to do with it..."

"Worse than Hutt chow?" Rai asked. "What can be worse than breakfast for a fifty-ton slug?"

"What's wrong, Bell?"

"That stunt you guys pulled...well...someone got you on film. And they got a good shot!" She held out a black and white shot of a somewhat burled Raven hardsuit. Around it were slight white lines.

Crimson frowned and took it. "They plan on posting this Net-wide, tomorrow."

"Not if I crash their server first," Shaine said grimly.

"Not sure if you can...Poe's dad bought him all the stuff, it's in his house... I get grounded, he gets his own domain name...it's not fair..."

"You think I can't fry that puppy?"

"It doesn't matter," Crimson said. "You're frying it anyway, one way or another. What kind of camera was this taken on? What model?"

"I don't know. Some kind of old 35mm deal; Poe was complaining about how expensive the film was. You guys did your mojo, and he was like spaced... When we got back to the house he pulled the film and like ninety-nine percent was nothing, snow, static, whatever...but this black and white thing, well, they made prints of it...as many as they could... And Deis, Omar, and Poe all have computer access right at home. I told them Mom would blow one up for a poster for me, so they gave me copies of the prints."

"But they want their own posters," Crimson guessed.

Bell winced. "Kind of..."

"Kind of?"

"They want her to authenticate it for them, to prove the film wasn't tampered with...and they want Val and _you_ to see it," she said, pointing to Shaine.

Shaine's face fell. _Val...oh shit..._

"Yeah, not pretty, seeing as from what I know Val might hurt them..."

"Hurt them? ...No. Hurt their site...?" She shook her head. "I'm surprised it's not down already."

"Great...there goes all my hard work..."

"Yeah, well, bite me." _I'm not going to be Val's choke chain. Sorry, no._

"They're pretty good--"

"Easy, now. No infighting." Rai said.

"I...don't think I exactly want to see Val either."

Belladonna laughed. "Not after what happened to him..."

"Find out what type of camera," Crimson said. "What film it uses. Shaine, crash their site, if not the actual server. Black out the city if you have to--"

"Not gonna take that much. But how much collateral damage I do depends on how random you want it to look."

"Very random. I don't want Genom or anyone else thinking we had a hand in this... Whatever it takes."

Shaine nodded. "Belladonna, I'll need to use your e-mail account."

"_MINE?!_"

"I've got a nice little worm I've been saving for a time like this, and it has to come from someone they trust."

"_MINE!!!_"

"Oh, don't worry...I'll disinfect it once I'm done. But it has to look like a genuine virus attack."

"Bell, do it."

"Hey, I _could_ just have cracked in and done it without asking..."

"Oh, man...they're going to blacklist me like forever..." She whimpered. "Here. I'll write it down for you."

Shaine waited until she was done, then took the paper. "All right. Here's what I need done."

"Be gentle..."

"To mask the attack on these kids I'll have to trash some other people's shit. The virus I have will select targets from victim systems and send me enough information to get in with minimal hassle."

"Oh, I've got a few you can trash..."

Shaine glared at her, then continued. "I can get some old friends to take care of a few but the more hackers we have taking down these chosen systems, the better."

"Hey, save me the trouble..." Belladonna already had her address book out.

"Bell," Crimson warned.

Shaine shook her head. "If we had time I'd just put out a call but for now..."

"How many do you need? And do you have to have worked with them in the past?"

"No, anyone you trust. And as many as you can get right now."

"A short list, but I think I can get ahold of them." He pulled out his cell phone.

"I have eight very powerful ones in mind..." _If they ever forgive me for getting them involved in this with no explanation,_ "But I'd have to call them from off-base."

"Call me when you have it worked out, and I'll have my people call you. Just be careful."

"Sure. Oh, and Crim...?" _Damn, I swore I would never do this..._ "Tell them it's Whitewave who's asking.

"Be seeing you..."

///

It was going on into evening, but The Almighty Bean wasn't too full yet. Shaine paid for an hour's time on one of the computers, selecting one which was near the center of the room. The distance between tables was enough to keep any casual observer from reading the screen, as many nervous would-be hackers forgot, and she didn't want to call attention to herself by huddling in the corner.

She logged on, taking all of the usual precautions to cover her tracks and masking her IP number. Once that was done, she connected to the Star Trek: Mariner RPG and logged in as Teslin n'Katia Nora.

"Walking" through the glass city of Theln to Alhadai, she entered training room #9 and paged Vaiyeh Kessel. The other player was online, luckily, and walked into the room through a hidden door.

vaiyeh_ks: n'jai, tez

teslin_nr: Jai-jai. I have a raid set up for tonight, you interested?

vaiyeh_ks: what are the stakes?

teslin_nr: Just for fun. Should be some good hunting tho...

teslin_nr: I was going to let the Squad in on it.

vaiyeh_ks: well that should be fun

vaiyeh_ks: count me in!

teslin_nr: I'll have the targets sent to your usual account.

teslin_nr: Have to go now, work to do

teslin_nr: Jai.

vaiyeh_ks: Jai

Shaine disconnected then and accessed Bell's e-mail account. It was very organized, with folders clearly labeled, but she didn't pay any attention to that. Loading the virus attachment, she sent a message to Poe and the others, plus a few other random addresses - webmasters of local business sites, some other accounts that were visible to the public. Closing everything, she logged back into Mariner and played for a while, shopping for weapons in Theln, for half an hour.

The cafe was starting to get crowded. She opened one of her own e-mail accounts and forwarded the stolen passwords to her account at the base, "Vaiyeh", and Crimson. Then she returned to the base and sifted through the list for Poe's computer. Matching it to the IP Bell had given her, she connected.

_"Tangue going to get you"? What kind of password is that?_

She loaded a crawler which would systematically destroy all graphics files, graphics drivers, scanner drivers, and digital camera drivers. Letting it loose, she could tell that someone else was already tampering with the machine. Poorly.

_Copyright 2038-2040 Valentine, hm? That arrogant bastard hasn't changed..._

"Blehhh," she stated. "Ratboy, I do believe I'm going to kill you." 

She pulled out her cell phone and called Crimson. "Boss, I've got a little problem."

"Status report."

"Specifically...a rat-sized problem."

"How much of a danger is he to himself at this time?"

"Depends. How good are these kids?"

"On par, if not better than him. They could learn a lot from you, though."

"Damn. He's trying to do the same thing I am. But it looks like he went at it head-on...been slamming their system for hours now."

"Can you stop him?"

"He's already in. I'm trying to knock him loose right now, but if I have to I'll just crash it."

"Crash it. It'll be safe that way."

"Or I could just fry the USB ports and ISDN as I was planning. That way there's still something left for me to look at."

"Do it."

"...Okay, I've lost the connection. She's dead in the water." Shaine could almost hear Valentine yell _oh, fuck!_

"Would he try to hit Poe's house in person?"

_Didn't think of that..._ "Yeah."

"Poe would call tech service right away. Feel up to a house call?"

"Sure."

"Would Val have any weapons on him?"

"I doubt it. Even if he did, he's got lousy aim!"

"Humor me...please tell me he can shoot himself..."

"I wish. Even my invalid father could've done better." _And did...remember that time he put a bullet right past Val's ear? Heh._

"Well, take Sprocket for backup anyway. Hangar in ten."

Ten minutes later, Crimson and Shaine stood beside a plain white van in the hangar."

"Sprocket will ride with you. I'm going to follow from behind; I want to minimize the number of times these kids see us together."

"Right."

The van looked like a Radio Shack on wheels, and Sprocket was leaning against one side reading a magazine.

"Hey, kid...when we get in there, just do me one favor. Try to stay away from the annoying blond one."

"For you, anything! But, and I do mean this, if he's the one Bell's talking about...if he lays a hand on me I want to shoot him myself!"

"No. That's my job."

"All right," she said, and climbed into the van.

The drive to Poe's house was short and quiet. As they pulled up, they could see Poe on the front porch staring up at the stars.

"My big sister hangs out with _him?_"

Shaine didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed her repair kit and got out. "Raven technical support, may I help you?"

Poe looked up. For a second it seemed he wanted to say something, then he stopped himself. "Thank you, fair ladies, you have come to save the day!"

Shaine smiled nervously.

"This way..."

The house looked all too normal until they got down to the basement, at which point it swiftly went from Ozzie and Harriet to Adams Family. The walls were black, with electric candles hanging from them in sconces. "I'm not sure what went wrong; I believe I've angered the sprits."

"Hm." Shaine popped the hood, then recoiled strongly at the strong smell of smoke. "Well, your 'sprits' sure love fire, that's for sure."

"Mav would know."

She started the computer, carefully noting all of the error messages. _Yup, done smoked this one good. _"Oh?"

"Spirits are hers to command; I am only her humble servant."

"I...see. ...Wellllll...your 'sprits' blew out both USB ports and your ISDN connection. Have you noticed any corrupted files?"

"Ah, I see. How long until you can make right what once went wrong?"

"That depends on you, man. This isn't covered by warranty, and it'll take a few Benjamins to get the replacement parts...I'd just buy a whole new machine if I were you."

"Yes, well...I have connections to this one."

"Yeah, I hear you. But its time has come, man. It's gone to the Summerlands. Or the Otherworld, if you prefer..."

"It's done well by me before. How much will I need, in coin of the realm?"

I dunno. I don't handle retail stuff, just warranty."

"Could you get it working tonight?"

Shaine bowed her head and touched her pendant. _She's dead, Jim... _"It seems to be somewhat working now. It's just you can't use the Internet...or anything you had plugged in through the USB."

"May I see it?"

"Hm?"

"Your necklace."

"Oh..." She stood and gently held up the silver pentacle; it had a good-sized moonstone in the center - only pentagon-shaped one she'd even seen. Yet another gift from Erik.

Poe leaned in close but did not touch it. "It's very nice..."

"Thank you."

"...Yes, so I will be without the 'Goth Babe of the Week' for a few days," he sighed.

"Yeah, guess so."

"It is a shame..."

"Have you checked your personal files yet?"

"Yes, they are also gone..."

"How recent is your last known clean backup?"

"I...a month, more or less."

She shook her head. "That's not good."

"Until now, it was not needed. Ah, the folly of it all!"

Shaine's eyes wandered again, and she saw a stack of Raven photos. She twitched, but didn't do anything else.

"Well...I thank you for coming so soon, but if you'll excuse me I have another matter to attend to."

"Of course."

He walked her back upstairs, where she found Val stuffing something into his jacket.

"Val?"

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Dumpfbacke!"

"Fich dich!" he retorted.

"She has given last rights to yonder computer," Poe offered finally.

"You're not helping any, rindvieh," Shaine snapped. Poe quickly shut up. "...Not _you!_ This one...when you open the dictionary to 'stockdumm,' it's his picture you see..."

"And what may I ask are you doing here?"

"I came to get my money, asshole!"

"Money?"

"Yeah!"

"What money?"

"You said you would pay for that story--"

"No, that would be the leader. I only draw, not pay."

"Just let it go," Shaine said.

"Like hell let it go! And I suppose _you're_ on his side too?" Poe grinned.

"You have to learn for once...when to back away. Or you are going to keep getting burned like this."

Val spoke in flawed German: "Aw, hell, Shaine, just come back...I miss you...I miss hearing you sing..."

Shaine looked almost hurt. "I'll come see you later tonight, if I can. No promises." Both Sprocket and Poe stood there, not knowing what either was saying.

Val switched back to English. "Well, then...I guess I don't have any reason to be standing around here with these loser friends of yours..."

"No, you don't."

Just then he noticed Sprocket. "_Hey_, cutie!" She rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"One last thing, kind rogue...what did you happen to take from my humble abode?"

"Take? What you talking about?" He turned back to Sproket. "So where were _you_ hiding all this time?"

"It seems I am mistaken, sir."

"Yes, I'm sure you are." He smiled confidently and walked out.

"May Gaia have mercy on your soul," Poe said after him, "For I cannot..."

"I don't think ones like him come equipped with souls," Shaine said.

"No, you would be right about that."

"Well, I'd better be going too."

"I'll see you later."

"Shade and sweet water, Poe."

"Dark tidings to you ladies!"

///

"Ramen." Shaine wrinkled up her nose. "The only thing you have to eat in the house...and it had to be that? That is so...college dormitory."

"_Some_ of us managed to get by without a high-priced education," Val retorted.

"Yeah. And some of us managed to flunk out of an actual _university_. ...And what was your major again? General studies?"

Valentine finished digging through the fridge and surfaced with a pack of Jell-o cups. "Now that hurt."

Shaine shrugged. "Your life, oh Man from Mars; I'm just telling you what I see."

"You know...I saw what you did to that kid's system. Not too cuspy compared to your usual...but I was kind of flattered that you did it for me..."

Shaine opened her mouth, then shut it quickly. _This is not the time to deflate his ego..._ "So can I crash here for a while? I mean, part of the time. I still don't really have a place of my own...I've been staying with a friend from work."

"A male friend?"

"No. Her name's Gabriella." _Well, true. I've been staying with Jinks...and Bell, but maybe I'd better not bring her up._

"Wellllll..." Val's face lit up. "There's a vacancy on the couch, and _I_ come with it."

"Don't press your luck."


	11. Kittie

Kittie

Kittie  
_By Harris, Shaine, and Shatterclaw. Individual rating: PG-13._

Crimson had taken a group out to patrol and train, leaving the Nest empty but for Harris, Shaine, Rai, and Branks. Shaine sat in her room, half asleep at the computer, when it suddenly went Ouija.

_What the flaming hell? How..._

Files and directories opened and closed, seemingly by themselves. She dug further, cutting off network access after finding the source. A storage room inside the base...one she didn't think had a network connection. 

At the same time, Harris awoke from a sound sleep to hear thick, heavy footsteps outside his door. A moment later, the fire suppression system switched on, bathing him in icy cold water. He sighed, pulling the Glock from under his pillow and walking to the door. 

Once he got there, the lights went off.

"_Schieße!_" _Forget about the storage room...need to find Harris and Rai first..._

As the lights flickered back on, Harris saw a figure further down the hallway. The air system turned on at full blast, flooding the hall with cold air. He started walking down the hall toward the figure, aiming at it.

"Harris...?" The lights went out again, and when they came back on Shaine was face to face with Harris and his bedmate. "Aaagh!"

He sighed, pulling back. "What's going on?"

"I don't know."

The lights went out and the fire suppression system kicked in again. The cold water almost felt good to Shaine.

"Damnit...if this is Bell again..." Harris let the sentence trail off as he walked, dripping wet, toward her room. The lights flashed and the water stopped, droplets still hanging from the spouts. 

"Harris? Shaine?" Rai's voice came from the intercom. "_Branks_, even?"

"Rai! What the hell is going on?"

"Yeah, Rai, what the hell you doing?"

"I'm not sure. It's not power surges... Meet me in the comm room, and bring an umbrella?"

///

In the comm room, Rai was underneath a computer panel, with Branks sitting on top of it. Small pools of computer-safe fire suppressant were everywhere.

They could hear Rai cursing from beneath the panel. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Branks asked.

"Sure, seen Crim under here all the time - and Jinks too. Wonder if there's some sort of command rationale behind it."

"Maybe it's their way of doing sex?"

"_Huh?_" Shaine said.

"Some secret Raven mating thing?"

Harris shook his head in disgust as Branks looked up. "Oh, hello, Shaine. I didn't see you there."

"Shaine!" Rai leapt out from under the console, hitting his head on the way out. "Oww." He rubbed his head. "The power is fluctuating--"

"No shit, and something was going through all of the files on my computer."

"We have to secure the base, make sure the systems are on manual only, then check the generators. Which files?"

"I'll go check the generators," Harris offered, and left.

"Everything," Shaine said.

"Hey, Harris, take Branks with you! ...Well, go with him, Branks. In twos for safety."

"Whatever," she sighed, and hurried to catch up with Harris.

"The core is on shutdown," Rai told Shaine, "So we only have to worry about the access points here and in the offices. Oh, and of course tell Crim that the base went nuts." He started showing her what needed to be switched over.

Ten minutes later, Branks had not stopped talking. Harris ignored her: it was mostly bitching about Crimson and how he got her into such a terrible situation. "Then he says, 'I paid for your schooling and gave you help...' "

The generator room was dark, save for a faint glow from the far wall. Harris pulled out a lighter and ignited it, stepping into the room slowly with his gun held outward. The flame cast only a faint light, revealing the outline of a staircase leading down. A flash of blue-white light played across the room.

Branks was so close he could feel her behind him. His foot hit something on one step: it was rough, rounded, and slick. He looked down, playing the light over it; it was half of the head of a female Boomer, actually a more like simple mask, face downward. It had been hollowed out; even the eyes were gone.

"Jesus," he breathed.

"What is that?"

"Boomer."

"How did it get _here?_"

Harris stepped around it and continued downward. "I don't know. But there's not much left of it."

"And where's the rest of it?" Branks asked nervously.

"Good question." From the far corner Harris could see a steady glow; he aimed at it, turning slowly. The thing was maybe seven or eight feet tall. It was hard to make out what it was, or exactly how big it was.

"Head back," he whispered. "Go get the others."

"I can't leave you," she said. Then she looked back at the glow. "Well, okay..." She ran ungracefully back up the stairs, making noise as she went.

"Fuck." The thing in the corner moved, two red lights glimmering out from its body. "Halt!" He fired a shot at the ceiling, just above its head. There was a low rumbling, and then two laser beams stabbed out from it, landing at his feet.

Harris hopped back a step and turned, stumbling toward the top of the stairs. He heard a metal-on-metal ripping sound behind him. "Why is it I always have to deal with this shit?"

He reached the top and turned, aiming for the creature and firing. The shots lit up the room somewhat, and he could see a large power cable pull free from the wall. The end of it crackled; the glowing thing held it aloft and threw it at him. Harris stepped out of the doorway just before it hit the frame.

A fierce light played about the room, revealing a monstrous, mismatched shape. The light faded before Harris was entirely sure what he had seen, but it didn't really matter. He opened fire.

///

"Hey, Shaine, is there a flashlight up there by you?"

Her hand fumbled across the darkened room. "Yeah."

"Great, turn it on." She did. "Gee, Crim...really I didn't know that the red button destroys the base. Honestly. How was I to know going under the panel like you do would blow us up?"

Shaine smiled. "The computer's getting fussy. Just doesn't like being touched by someone else. ..._Speaking of which_, what is this secret Raven mating ritual and why wasn't I informed?"

"Urt...I don't know... Branks told me about it?"

"Hah. Likely."

"She thinks Crim and Jinks are in love."

"Okaaay..."

"She keeps talking about how they find ways of having sex. I think she's fixated on it."

"Great," Shaine moaned. "Another rumormonger. Tell me, does anyone on this base know how to just shut up?"

"Um, shut up? What's that? ...Don't worry; she doesn't do rumors per se, just stuff about Jinks and Crim."

"Good."

///

The generator fell quiet as that end of the base lost power. Harris could hear air moving through the vents, nothing else.

He sighed, regaining his composure, and looked into the generator room. The floor was strewn with parts - bits of machine and what looked like pieces of a Boomer. A small trail led off into the darkness.

As he reentered the room there was the slight smell of something burning, probably from the cable. The parts on the floor lay in a pattern, as if the thing - whatever it was - had gotten inside by dragging itself across the ground. 

From the far end of the room came a slight movement. Harris aimed for it and opened fire. A large, squat form the size of a small car shifted its weight; the shots bounced off of metal.

"Shit." There was the sound of more movement, and metal scraping against metal. Harris dropped the empty clip and reached for another, slamming it into place. The lights went on. "There we go."

There was a hole in the floor near the far wall; it seemed from the way the metal was bent, that the creature had cut down through it. Whatever it was, there was no more sign of it.

Harris sighed and edged as close to the floor as he could before jumping down past the ruined steps. He walked to the hole, looking down and aiming. Inside he could see down to the training level of the base, but still no creature. _Can't have gotten far, though. _He dropped through the hole and landed hard, feeling shock throughout his body.

The debris from the mechanical beast was lesser, with a different pattern, but he continued following its path. It led to the elevator, then stopped and picked up gain a few feet away by the stairs. Reaching the stairs, Harris could see that the railings were bent.

The next level down was the hardsuit construction labs. He moved faster, hearing the heavy footsteps ahead of him again.

At the bottom of the stairs, he got his first good look at the thing. It was almost a full hardsuit, but had parts hanging from it including a female Boomer head whose outer shell had been ripped off. He opened fire without hesitation and it rocked back under the impact, extending one hand to him. A bright flare issued from the hand, shooting out a long, corded weapon as one finger broke off. It looked like a dagger weapon from one of the Raven hardsuits.

Harris quickly dove off to his right; it glanced off the floor making a long scratch. He climbed to his feet and fired at the suit's chest, hitting the hanging face.

An almost female voice issued from it: "You have taken our lives once. Not again, fleshbag." Something on the back of the suit moved. Harris shot at that and part of it flew off.

"Do you...have...any...last words...soldier?"

"Trust me," Harris replied, "You will die. I promise that." He fired the last four shots after it, then looked for a path of retreat. _Doorway on the left, elevator on the right._

_Doorway. _He leapt through, hearing a whistling sound behind him and then a large explosion. Debris flew into the room, some of it landing on him. Harris regained his composure quickly, getting to his feet and searching the room for anything which could be used as a weapon.

Smiling slightly, he grabbed a nail gun and chainsaw. _Crude...but effective. _Looking off toward the doorway, he fired a single nail to see if it was loaded. It was, but the nail only flew about fifteen feet. Swearing, he dropped the gun and raised the chainsaw, starting it up.

Then he noticed Mitch's microwave gun sitting on the table. "Aw geez...wonder if it's fixed.

"Guess we find out."

Outside, the door to the stairs was off the hinges. It looked like the thing had gone down one more level to the autocads factory.

"Hrrisss..." A staticky voice came over the intercomm. "On the way... Don't...cads...need...copy? ...Rai..." He ignored it, continuing down the stairs.

From inside the factory came the sound of typing. He kicked the door open and aimed with the microwave jammer, looking for his target. Wires ran from the hardsuit/Boomer to the control panels. He fired with the microwave gun, then again and again, but the hardboomer was still standing.

The power in the control room did seem to go out, sputtering sporadically. Not surprised at all, Harris dropped the gun and lunged at the hardboomer with his chainsaw, bringing it up over his head and swinging down toward the Boomer head.

The head resisted the chainsaw, sparks flying from it. He pressed harder; sparks flew and the head lunged forward. One of the thing's many arms swatted at him as the saw embedded itself in the hardsuit body. The head fell off, and the saw almost leapt from his hands. Gripping tighter, he ripped it away from the body. 

"I keep my promises." He spat on the severed head, which bounced off of the body. The hardsuit fell to the ground. The eyes rolled out of the head and the autocads flared to life.

_Oh, shit._

It formed a roughly female shape. Funny thing was, it looked almost like Shaine. "Aw, shiiit..." He went at it with the chainsaw; the newly formed face took the brunt of the first round and and arm from the autocad began reaching out toward him. He then concentrated on the arms and power supply, but the arms reached out to block him and he found himself pinned by them. 

"Shit! Damned machines..." One arm reached out to grasp the chainsaw, trying to pry it away from him. It slid from his fingers and he was raised above the production line as the body was taken from the end of the line.

"_Fucking piece of shit machines!_" An arm with a laser arced out toward him but was shot down. He stared at the laser and then at the hardsuit which had appeared in the doorway. 

"So," Shaine asked casually, "What did I miss?"

The newly formed body of the hardboomer screamed. She looked at it and did a double take. "_SHIT!_" Two more arms came to life and reached toward her.

"Hey, here's an idea, Shaine: _KILL IT!_"

"Shut the fuck up, Harris!"

"Shaine?" The creature said.

"Just shoot, bitch; don't talk!"

She fired; the assembly line rocked from the impact and the few connectors still attached to the creature snapped. Shaine hit its side; it glanced down at the damage and then fired with its lasers. 

Both lasers hit, and Shaine could feel the heat of it inside her suit. It walked toward her, standing over her, and she ignited her laser sword.

"_You_..." She took a slash at its chest and it ignited its own laser sword, then kicked her away, holding the wound. "You ruined my life!"

"No fucking shit." Shaine blocked, then went for its head but missed. "What do you think you did to mine? Do you think I asked for you?"

"And now that I have you..." It backhanded her.

"Go shoot at Erik if you want someone to be pissed at - do us both a favor."

"Erik saved me," it screeched. "And _don't speak to your mother that way!_"

"What?" _Mother? _Shaine brought her sword toward it again as it fired a rail gun. The rail missed and embedded in the wall. 

It leapt toward her. "You know, Harris, now might be a good time to find a way down from there." She sidestepped and slashed at the Boomer as it passed.

"Oh, _yes_, Harris..."

"Aw shit..." The arm holding him aloft moved toward the Boomer. "I can't damn well move but you remind the Boomer of me. _Thanks_."

"How would you like a preview of how you will die, Harris?" She leaned to one side and Shaine watched the gashes from her laser sword begin to regenerate. "Oh, you shall pay for this."

Shaine advanced toward it again, trying her rail gun. But the Boomer leapt up to the arm holding Harris and held its sword above him.

"Now, human...you will die for her. Would she die for you?" The sword buzzed near his ear.

Shaine threw herself toward the arm, screaming incoherently. She collided with the Boomer and both fell, its sword slicing the arm in two. Harris landed a few feet away from them.

Shaine rose quickly, laser sword swinging, and rushed toward the Boomer again. It tried to kick her legs up from under her, but Shaine jumped and stabbed at her. The Boomer brought its sword in low and pushed the swords up to break contact. Harris scanned the room for anything that could be used as a weapon.

"Fuck...get out of here, Harris...go get your suit."

The Boomer looked at one, then the other...and opened fire on both.

"Shit!"

Shiane rushed it, ignoring the rail bursts, to distract it from Harris. She was hit full-on but the rails missed Harris, flying just past his right arm. She staggered back, the armor on her own arm ripped away, and fought to stay balanced.

"You will die, my clone, and I will have my revenge. Then maybe Erik will accept me for who I am."

"Accept you?"

"Yes. It is your kind that have kept him from me."

Shaine gritted her teeth against the pain. "That's fucking likely."

Regaining his senses, Harris ran for the fire extinguisher and pulled the pin out. He aimed it for the Boomer's face and sprayed. Shaine fired at it as it staggered back, blinded.

"Keep firing. Kill it." The Boomer fell on its knees, wings extending from its back.

"Aw, _fuck!_ This just keeps getting better."

Harris emptied the fire extinguisher. "Shaine, what the fuck is happening?"

"How in hell should I know?"

The thing took aim as best it could and fired at both again. It hit; Shaine's hardsuit took the force of the blast but began to redline. "Rai, get down here! The Replicant fused with a hardsuit and some other weird shit and it's attacking us and _Harris doesn't have his hardsuit!_" She kept firing despite the warning lights on her HUD.

"Aw, fuck!"

The Boomer ran toward the door; out of the corner of her eye Shaine could see Harris rolling on the ground to put out the flames. _Well, he's alive and moving... _"Fuck, it's running away...get to your suit _now_."

"Get down there!" Branks called.

"Damnit," Harris pulled himself up to hands and knees as Shaine ran out after the Boomer.

"It's headed to the elevators, Rai!"

"I'll meet it there."

Harris went for the stairs, heading for his room. The Boomer ignored him, trying to pry open the elevator doors. Shaine ran toward it, firing, and ran her sword through its stomach. The Boomer swung halfway around, trying to use its knuckle bombers, but the fist hit the wall. It backhanded her and then the elevator doors opened.

Shaine rushed forward, pushing the Boomer into the elevator ahead of her and took aim with the rails on her right arm. "Rai, we're in the elevator now." 

The rail bursts hit and the Boomer screamed, trying to kick Shaine. "Be damned if I'll let a fucking skin job do this to me..." She kept firing.

"_I am not a skin job!_"

"He _lied_ to you!"

It kicked and fired its jump jets, sending them both flying into the elevator shaft. Shaine wrapped her right arm around its waist, holding on tight.

Harris was waiting by the door with an autoshot gun; he began firing as soon as he saw them. The Boomer reeled back and hit the wall; Shaine's laser sword broke and it fell. Shaine managed to use her jet verniers to slow her fall, and flew back up to Harris's level. 

Harris rushed to the doorway, aiming downward and continuing to fire as the Boomer tried to grab onto another door below. She missed and hit the bottom of the elevator shaft, then lay there.

"Godsdamn fucking _shit!_ Why can't Crimson buy a sword that'll fucking stand up to this fucking shit?"

Harris kept firing and the Boomer's body danced with the impacts. "Crimson can't even afford a secure base, let alone quality technology."

"Well, no shit!" Shaine activated her comms again. "Rai, we've got the bitch lying down at the bottom of the elevator shaft and it looks like she's dead..."

"Yeah, I know. I got a problem up here; someone let the damned cat think out of her cell."

"Aw, fuck."

"It's in the suit room."

"The what?" Harris asked.

"Harris, take care of this...I'm going to help Rai with the cat-creature."

"What the hell did I miss now?"

"I'm bleeding - and it's trying to eat me!"

"_SHIT!_"

"Aw, geez," Harris moaned as Shaine disappeared from sight. Then he looked back at the Boomer, which had started moving again. "You done fucked my day up..." He fired several more shots into it.

It was decapitated again by that point, and the head flew up the elevator shaft, blowing Harris a kiss as it went. He aimed again, firing, and smoke billowed up from it. Finally he hit it and it fell back down to the bottom of the shaft, hitting the wall several times on the way down.

Harris smiled. "That's what I thought, bitch."

///

"Rai, are you there?" The hardsuit room was completely silent.

Shaine saw a pool of blood coming from beneath the locker doors. _Oh, gods, no._ She ran toward it. Rai was there, lying unconscious on the floor, with massive cuts along his arms and legs.

"Aw, shiiitt..." She turned at the sound of a low growl and saw the cat-thing. There was more blood on its face and claws.

She kept firing until Harris got there; by that time nothing was left but a pulp of blood and fur. The body feel forward; Shaine felt blood rush to her cheeks as she reluctantly lowered her arm.

"Hmmm," Harris said. "Good kittie. Stay." The thing spasmed on the floor.

"Branks, get medbay ready. We've all been hit and Rai's passed out. Damn...should I bring him there or do you want to come here?"

There was no answer.

"_Branks!_"

"Aw, shit..."

"Fuck. Harris, go find her. I'm staying with Rai." He nodded and left.

Shaine knelt down by Rai, listening to his ragged breathing. "Shaine...medkit...hangar."

She bit her lip and went.

///

The comm board was smashed. Harris studied it for a moment.

"Harris, one of the bikes is gone."

"Gone? What the fuck - you think Branks left?"

"What do you fucking think? I don't know! All I'm thinking about - all I _want_ to think about - is getting back to Rai with this fucking medkit! You handle the rest."

"Damnit...gonna check the computer. Should be a tracer on the bike, right?"

"Well you think you're some sort of godsdamn fucking Superman; you figure it out!"

From the hangar came the sound of a car engine. "Hello?"

"Hello? _CRIM!_" Shaine ran back into the hangar. "Godsdamnit, you leave for a few hours and the base blows up..."

At the same time, Harris arrived. "There you are, bitch!"

"Rai is in the suit room...he's been hurt, bad." She ran off again.

"I know how to field patch him, but we'll have to get him to the hospital. I'm sorry, Rai. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Shaine took off her helmet, muttering, "I think I'm getting to be a bad luck charm."

"Shaine, get Mitch and the others on the line. I want Branks."

///

"Hi, Shaine...do you need me?"

"No fucking shit I need you, Bell! Branks defected, Rai's hurt really bad, and Harris is tearing around on a Motoslave trying to catch her."

"I am sooo there. I've got a suit; where's Harris?"

"I have no fucking clue, Bell. Use the bike trackers."

"On it! Belladonna out!"

///

Branks was no more than a mile ahead. Harris sped up, trying to close the gap, and the Motoslave pulled like a son of a bitch. He slowed up just enough to avoid a crash.

Soon he was within a block of the other bike. It had been smashed into a dumpster outside a well-to-do building. 

"Damn." The bike looked fine, but the dumpster was totalled. There was no one else within sight. The Motoslave's scanners were picking up at least three other lifeforms: two behind him, one in front.

A hail of poorly-aimed bullets flew from behind him, and he heard growling. And howling...and mooing. From the shadows came another cat-creature like the one back at the base.

"Fuck!" He fell off of the side of the bike as the bullets hit, then scrambled to his feet. The cat-thing had an AK centerfire.

Harris took aim as the two behind him came into view, nailing both. The one in front dodged, but he fired again and easily hit it.

A voice came from the bike: "Is Motoslave needed?"

"Uh...yes?"

The bike took on the form of a large robot. About eight feet tall, it had a large gun in one hand. "Motoslave Unit Seven reporting."

"What the...?" Harris stared. "Cool."

"I am Raven Class Motoslave Unit Seven, rider Snakebite."

Harris picked up the tracker unit. "Is the other Motoslave over there in proper order, Motoslave Seven?"

"Motoslave Six is functioning, but missing transformation matrix. Rider tampering."

"Damn...um, can we get any information from it?"

"Yes."

"The last rider, maybe? And anything else you can find out about them."

"Last rider was Branks, codename Witchdoctor. She was hurt, leaning to the left, and leaking."

"She's hurt...did she say anything about destination?"

"Her temperature was up by five degrees, and she was using massive amounts of profanity. She also ran five stop signs and/or lights. No destination noted; she was on manual."

"Can your sensors pick up her blood trail?"

"Affirmative."

"Yes? All right, then. Let's follow it."

"She is in the building across the street with five other bodies. Two airborne vehicles approaching, one with Raven markings."

"Can you scan the building for me? What's inside?"

The building is rigged with explosives."

"Shit..."

"There is a massive amount of lifeforms."

"How many total? Or just the six?"

"One hundred fifty to one hundred seventy."

"Can you disarm the explosives?"

"Unknown. This unit lacks the fine motor skills."

"Well, locate them all and disarm them if possible. If not, relocate the people inside."

"Compliance. Would you like a readout?"

"Yes." A piece of paper slid out of its side; Harris took it and read it. The diagram showed the main supports of the building, and at each one was a bomb. 

He heard a helicopter above. "Relocate the explosives. I'm going in for Branks."

"Sir, do you wish this unit to come along?"

"Damnit...I wish I knew something about explosives...make sure those people are safe, then come back to me."

"Compliance." The Motoslave walked away and started climbing the building.

At the front door was a naked woman who looked like a cow, holding a baseball bat. "Uh...okay..." 

"Mooooo..." It swung the bat at Harris; he stepped back, firing a shot into its chest.

"Damn cows." He stepped past the body and into the building, heading for the stairs. _This thing says Branks is on the top floor..._

A cat-creature sat on the stairs grooming itself. "Come to die, have you, hummman..."

He fired at it. "Nope." He passed two more of the cows but they were too slow to pose any real danger. The floor was slick and carpeted with grass, but he still made it to the top in less than five minutes.

Kicking the door in, he saw three more cats with guns. He hit two and their uncoordinated fire took care of the third for him. He ran after Branks.

"Stop, bitch!"

"Never! Not for the likes of _you_."

He fired, hitting her leg, and saw blood and bone beneath the ripped flesh. Something lifted her up to the roof as three grenades fell to the ground before him, spewing smoke. A pair of glowing, yellow eyes was visible through it all, moving in an unreal manner. 

Harris fired at the eyes and knew he hit at least once, but the figure disappeared into the smoke, and Branks with it. He climbed to the roof as the helicopter lifted into the air, firing at the rotors as soon as he was able to get a shot off. Smoke billowed from it, but he felt faint and his vision blurred.

He shook his head. "Damnit... Not now..." He aimed one more time and fired. The helicopter went down. So did he. Harris heard the rush of the wind and the clatter of his gun upon the rooftop.

He thought he saw an angel in black, with fiery wings. It looked vaguely female, singing to him of his deeds.

Then there was nothing.

///

_A room. White._ Harris barely felt capable of anything more articulate.

Shaine and Crimson were there beside the bed. _Pretty monitors... Oh, shit. Crim._

"I think he's awake."

Harris shook his head. "Ya think?"

"No, let's poke him and find out." Shaine glared down at his prone figure, then rolled her eyes.

"Fuck you, Harris...who told you you could die?"

"Not even for your birthday, old man."

"Not even."

"Yeah," He continued. "Maybe for Christmas, but only after a pint or two of eggnog..."

"Or a pint or two of blood," Crimson said.

"Now, then, what's this about dying?"

"As in, ceasing to live." Shaine said. "What you and Rai almost did." If possible, she seemed even more harsh and cynical toward him than usual.

"Naw..."

"You lost a lot of blood, and then there was the explosion."

"Explosion? Oh, shit...how's Branks?"

"Yes, the building went up in smoke. There were over a hundred bodies in the rubble."

"Damn bike."

"None of them were human - or Superman - so we knew you weren't there."

Shaine snorted at this.

"Well, okay, then." He shook his head. "What about Branks?"

"The police thought the people had farm animals in there."

"That's about it. Farm animals, indeed!"

"And Branks...is contained, for now. The DNA was mixed; the police couldn't handle that."

Harris tried to get up but fell back, still a little dizzy. "Damn Branks..."

"No, this is too big for her alone, but there is someone who I think may have done it."

"What the fuck is going on?"

"I got a file yesterday: one Dr. Cinocard. Wanted for DNA tampering...and a hundred other things. He was last seen in Wisconsin, working as a vet. The DNA from the cows was for...class."

"So Branks had nothing to do with this?"

"Bull. She helped him...ran to this sick bastard..."

"Nice choice in people, Crim. I mean...you picked one hell of a group..."

"I should have let you shoot her," Crimson replied as Harris fell back, closing his eyes. "Over and over."

"No. I owe her better than that," Harris growled.

"And you'll get it; I have the city locked down. And at least I have three Ravens I can count upon."

Harris sighed, his eyes opening again.

"We will get her, and when we do, you'll have justice."

"I thought you said Branks was contained? She's not here?"

"No, she's in an ADP holding cell. You are in a hospital."

He glanced around. "We're not at the base?"

"Rai and you both need more than I can give right now. Until you're stabilized you stay here."

"Damnit, I'm fine." He tried to pull himself up again and fell back, cursing.

"You'll have a police watch and a guard. But you are staying in that bed."

"Damnit, if I have to fucking crawl out of here...slowly...over the next month..."

"I'm sure you will, when the time comes. But until then..."

Harris sighed. "But until then, I hope not to get the attention of another Boomer."

"Want to hear a knock-knock joke?" Rai said weakly.

"_No_."

"Good; I don't want to tell one."

Shaine went to Rai, placing one hand gently on his cheek. "Don't listen to him."

Harris smiled slightly. "Aw geez..."

"I give up," Crimson sighed. "I should seal you two in this place..."

"Let the girl stay?" Rai asked hopefully.

"You do," Harris threatened, "And only one of us leaves alive. ...Unless Rai can keep himself under control."

"There are good odds at this point that both of you will walk out of here."

Rai just grinned.

"Yes, well, we have ways of keeping that from happening."

"Oh?"

"But to make you feel better, I _could_ have Mitch come down here."

"Aw, shit! You do that..."

Crimson just grinned.

"I'd pay good money to see that," Shaine said wistfully. "But then I don't want Mitch to die_ that_ badly."

"...and we'll see how long I stay bedridden."

"I'll remember that for when we need you."

Harris shook his head. "All the work I do around here...what the fuck do I get? Rai in a bed next to me, and threats of Mitch..."

The officer at the door walked in. "Time's up; visiting hours are over."

"Officer?"

"Yes, sir?"

"How long are visiting hours?" Harris asked.

"About two hours for intensive care."

"Hmm."

Shaine looked deep into Rai's eyes. "And I'll be here every day, I promise."

"Thanks. We'll miss you."

Harris and Rai both sighed.

"During that time...could you come in and hit me upside the head with your gun to knock me out?"

The guard shifted his weight uneasily. "Um, sir, you'll have to leave now..."

"Please?" Harris begged.

"Fuck off," Shaine said. "You'll have to throw me out bodily to get rid of me, Harris - or get the nurse to give you a sedative."

"Officer, she's disturbing my rest. Could you escort her out?"

"Ma'am, sir, you really do have to go now."

Shaine looked calmly at the officer. "My apologies, sir. You shouldn't have to see this." Then she turned back to Rai. "And neither should you..."

"I've seen worse, ma'am."

Harris sighed. "Why me?"

"I swear I'd shove something in his mouth to shut him up but then I'd probably get thrown out for good..."

"Do it, bitch. You've almost gotten me killed enough times..."

Crimson tugged on her arm and the pair walked out.

"The reasons I've not shot you cold are beyond me," Harris called after them.

///

Later that night, Harris woke to a cold breeze. The window was open...

"Moootoslaaave Unit Seeeven reportttting, siiir..." Even in the dim light, he could see that it had been burned badly.

"You're in one piece."

"Yeees, sir...for the most part. Sir, I amm sorrrrry, sirrr. I failed you, sirr..."

"Diagnostics?"

"87% operrrational."

"How long before 100%?"

"Two weeks, maybe more without repair. Yourrr orders, sir?

"That's okay. You did good out there, though - and you came back."

"Thank you, sirrr. The explosssives went offf..."

"Yes they did. But you did real good. It all worked out in the end."

"You'rrre welcommmme, sirr."

"Now, then. Can you do a medical reading on me?"

"Complianccce. Broken ribs: two. Third degree burrrns on chest and leg. Secccond degrrree burns on face and armmm. At this timmme, blood had been replennnished to 97%."

"Any other internal injuries?"

"Skin grafts will likely commence in a week. Puncturrred lung has been fixed. Some bleeding and superrrficial wounds, and loss of hair from explossssion."

"Brain trauma?"

"Slllight swelling; should reduce in timmme. Loss of blood may lead to long-terrrm damage but that is not anticccipated."

Harris nodded and tried to lift himself out of the bed.

"Do not, sir. You arrre to rest."

Harris sighed and let himself sink back down into the bed. "Yeah, guess you're right."

"Thank you, sir. Mayyy I stay here?"

"No. If they see you there'll be problems. Wait - do you have cloaking?"

"Affirmative. It is 75% functionnnnal. With the lights in this room, I willll be fine until morrning and Crimmmson will take over then."

"All right. Thank you, Unit Seven."

"You arrre welllcome, sir."

"When Crimson comes, take position on the roof until dark. See if we can't get up to 100% in less than two weeks."

"Compliance. I willl try, sir. And, sirrr, I have your weapons here."

"My weapons? Oh, the gun and the sword."

"Yes, sir."

"Hand me the sword."

"You seemed to havvve dropped themmm."

"Hold on to the gun, though. I won't be using that."

Harris reached for the sword. _Damn thing's so heavy..._ He stuffed it under the blankets. "Thank you."

"Its powwer unit is overllloaded."

He sighed. "Do you have another?"

"No, sirr."

Harris handed it back to the Motoslave. "Does me no good unless it's working."

"I willl repair it, sirrr."

"All right."

"Good niggght, sir."

"Good night."


End file.
